Former NASCAR driver Bobby East stabbed to death at Orange County gas station

ORANGE COUNTY, CA - Former NASCAR driver Bobby East was stabbed to death at an Orange County gas station, authorities said, and the man police blamed has died.

The robbery happened just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13th at the 76 gas station on Westminster Boulevard in Westminster. When officers arrived, they found East on the ground with a stab wound to his torso. He was taken to a hospital but later died from his injuries, according to Westminster PD.

Earlier: A collision with a drifter resulted in a stabbing at a gas station in Westminster, California on Wednesday that killed top NASCAR driver Bobby East.

Westminster is generally a very safe community, surrounded by the city of Seal Beach to the west, Garden Grove to the north and east, and Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley to the south.

Police are looking for 27-year-old Trent William Millsap. Millsap is said to have stabbed the former in the chest while refueling his vehicle. East was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared brought dead.

"Officers attempted life-saving measures until OCFA paramedics arrived and transported the victim to a local trauma center, where the victim succumbed to his injuries," police said in a statement.

Millsap was also accused of stabbing another man at a 76 gas station before the attack to the east.

UPDATE: Westminster police located Millsap at an Anaheim apartment, a SWAT team was dispatched to the location and Millsap was shot while executing a search warrant. He later died from his injuries at UC Irvine Medical Center, a Westminster PD representative told KCBS-TV.

The former, a native of Torrance, California, was a three-time US Auto Club (USAC) champion. He won the SAC Silver Crown Championship in 2012 and 2013.

He is the son of USAC Hall of Fame automaker Bob East.

McCormick said a SWAT team was dispatched to the location and while a search warrant was being served, a shootout ensued between police and the suspect, with a police dog suffering a single gunshot wound that was not believed to be life-threatening. McCormick said.

Millsap was killed.

The former, Torrance native, raced on the NASCAR, US Auto Club and Automobile Racing Club of America circuits. He was a three-time USAC champion.