WOODLAND HILLS—A suspect was taken into custody in connection to a hit-and-run collision that left one bicyclist dead and one in serious condition, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced Tuesday, May 30.
Victor Mainwal Jr., 47, was arrested on Friday, May 26, on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. He is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to reports. His vehicle, a 1988 Chevy utility truck, was impounded for evidence.
The collision was reported around 12:50 a.m. on May 24, on Winnetka Avenue near Gilmore Street, according to a statement released by the LAPD’s Valley Bureau Traffic Division. The cyclists, two Hispanic men, were allegedly traveling north on Winnetka, on their way home from their jobs at a Ventura Boulevard restaurant.
Mainwal, driving a white utility vehicle with toolboxes on the sides, reportedly slowed and swerved from his lane, striking the cyclists. He looked over his shoulder at the victims before driving into a motel parking lot on Winnetka. After a few minutes, he allegedly left the parking lot and traveled westbound on Vanowen Street.
The victims were transported to the hospital, where one cyclist died and the other was treated for unspecified injuries. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the victim who died of his injuries was identified as Ignacio Sanchez Navarro, 47.
Officials are determining whether Mainwal struck the cyclists intentionally or accidentally. The investigation is ongoing.
