LAPD: Driver Fatally Hits Man, Pulls Into Sylmar Gas Station To Remove Him From Underneath Sedan
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A fatal hit-and-run crash is under investigation Monday in the Sylmar area.
The crash happened at about 12:45 a.m. in Sylmar, where a man in his 50s crossing Foothill just south of Hubbard was struck and killed by a sedan.
According to the LAPD, the sedan entered a gas station driveway area while dragging the man. So the driver backed up, apparently to dislodge the pedestrian, then turned around and drove south on Foothill Boulevard without identifying him or herself or trying to help the man.
"I heard about it this morning so I had no idea this happened and truly, it's devastating," said Adriana Chico, a neighbor.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name is being withheld pending notification of his family.
The hit-and-run vehicle was described as a gray or silver sedan, possibly a Kia or Toyota, with damage to its front end, underneath the vehicle, and missing parts that were left behind at the scene.
"Had this person stopped, it wouldn't have been his fault," said Det. Lisset Fuentes of the LAPD. "It was a pedestrian on the roadway. Unfortunately, the person decided to flee so that's when it becomes a crime."
A reward of up to $50,000 is available for information leading to the arrest of hit-and-run suspects in the city of Los Angeles.
"It's not right," added Chico. "If it was an accident, he should've waited and called authorities to take action."
Anyone with information about this crash can contact Valley Traffic Division Officer Garibay at (818) 644-8033 or Detective Wade at (818) 644-8036.