Teenage Girls in Crosswalk Hit by Car

October 18, 2006

Los Angeles: A man driving a blue Honda Civic struck two Fremont High School students Wednesday morning just before 9:00 a.m. in the Green Meadow area of South Los Angeles.

The students, on their way to school, were crossing the street at the intersection of 78th Street and San Pedro Street. A man driving south on Avalon Boulevard did not stop at the crosswalk striking both girls, Detective Dana Wheeler said. One of the girls fell to the ground, the other was thrown onto the windshield. Following the collision the driver slowed just enough to allow the girl thrown onto the windshield to fall off the hood of the car, then fled the scene.

Both victims were taken to local hospitals. One girl is listed in stable condition. The other girl’s condition remains critical due to head trauma and internal injuries, but is expected to recover from her injuries.

Moments after the collision, witnesses saw the man driving erratically near Avalon Boulevard and 83rd Street. The man was seen parking his car in a nearby alley, then got out and ran away.

Detectives made a series of inquiries and learned where the suspect lived. The suspect wasn’t at home when police arrived, but they were able to positively identify him.

Detectives are in the process of obtaining an arrest warrant for the driver.

Anyone with information regarding this is incident is asked to call South Traffic Detective Wheeler or Ramirez at 323-290-6063. After hours, please call the 24-hour toll-free hotline at 1-877-LAWFULL (1-877-529-3855).