LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Police Department Central Traffic Division are asking the public to assist with information that would help identify the hit-and-run suspect that fatally injured a pedestrian.
On Wednesday, February 22, around 6:45 p.m., officers of the Hollenbeck Area responded to a traffic collision on the 5200 block of Alhambra Avenue. The investigation showed that a collision occurred when the victim, a 32-year old Hispanic female, was trying to cross Alhambra Avenue, according to the LAPD Blog.
While the victim was waiting in the middle of the street for eastbound traffic to clear, she was hit on her left side by a car driving westbound on Alhambra Avenue. The victim was carrying her two-year-old son in her right arm at the time of the collision.
The child was launched 50 feet and landed in the middle of the roadway. The mother was launched into the eastbound lanes of Alhambra Avenue and was hit again by a 2004 Nissan Frontier pick-up truck. The driver of the pick-up truck did not leave the scene, and was questioned and released, but the driver of the first vehicle fled the scene. The driver did not identify himself or herself, and did not render aid to the victim, which is required by law.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics pronounced the 32-year old victim dead at the scene. Her identification is pending verification. Canyon News reached out to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office for comment, but did not hear back before print.
The two-year-old suffered several head injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital for observation. The suspect’s vehicle is described as possibly a Honda SUV with the left side damaged. The investigation of the hit-and-run is ongoing.
On April 15, 2015, the Los Angeles City Council updated the Los Angeles Administrative Code and developed a Hit-and-Run Reward Program Trust Fund. A reward for up to $50,000 is available to community members who provide information that leads to the offender’s identification, apprehension, conviction, or resolution through a civil compromise.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Central Traffic Division at (213) 833-3713. To those who wish to remain anonymous call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.