Caught on video: Westminster woman walking 3 dogs victim of hit-and-run Wednesday
Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who plowed into a woman walking her three dogs in Westminster early Wednesday morning.
"We see her all the time, that's just part of her routine...just really friendly, and it just tore me up. It still does even now," neighbor Ed Mitchell said of the woman.
Security video captured the incident, near the intersection of Klamath Drive and Iroguois Road, when the driver of an SUV slammed into the victim and then took off, leaving the woman in the middle of the street.
"For me, it was just a shock," said resident Jim Hanan. "It's just concerning that someone would not even stop for a woman walking three dogs. How obvious is that?"
Westminster Police were called to the scene of the hit-and-run just after 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, where they found the injured woman with serious injuries to her face.
"She's was walking her dog. We've been told that she walks her dogs every morning, and before she crossed the street, she looked in both directions and began crossing the street," Westminster PD Commander Kevin MacCormick told CBSLA. "She saw that the vehicle was not going to stop or slow down. She tried to run across the street, but unfortunately, did not make it out of the way of the vehicle."
Paramedics rushed the woman to the University of California Irvine Medical Center. Police said her dogs managed to get out of the SUV's path and were not hurt.
Neighbors told CBSLA that they often see drivers speed through the residential area and that a nearby construction project has brought more cars to the neighborhood.
"There's more traffic inside our area," said neighbor Veronica Ceja. "So, we've noticed driving, not even stopping, being precautious with everybody who is walking around the area. So, for me, it was just getting more scarier."
"I see some of these careless people that are not paying attention to the, you know, traffic and the stop signs. So, I would like to see something done about that," Hanan said.
The hit-and-run vehicle is described as a new model silver Ford Explorer with custom silver wheels and a temporary registration in the lower right corner of the front windshield. Police said the vehicle may have damage to the hood and left front corner of the vehicle.
Anyone with information about the incident or the vehicle seen in the video should contact the Westminster Police Department.
