Caught On Video: Woman Fatally Struck, Dragged By Truck In South LA
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Police say a woman was killed Wednesday morning in a hit-and-run crash that dragged her for about 70 yards in South Los Angeles.
The crash happened at about 5:30 a.m. at Western Avenue and 79th Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The woman, believed to be 50 to 55 years old, died at the scene.
Her name was withheld pending notification of her relatives.
Security video shows the woman crossing the street, possibly against a red light, and being struck by the vehicle, believed to be a truck. In the video, the driver appeared to stop and get out of the vehicle about 70 yards from where he struck her, look at the scene, and then return to the truck and start backing up.
Police believe the driver backed up because the woman was trapped underneath the truck.
The suspect vehicle was described as a black Chevy Avalanche.
The woman, who has not yet been identified, was known in the neighborhood for rising early to get to a food distribution center before it opened at 7 a.m.
"This ain't the first time this happened. This happened once before," said Melvin Faulker, who lives in the neighborhood. "They don't stop. They keep going and it's like 'wham!' and they keep moving."
Faulkner and other neighbors say that drivers in the area act as if the roadway is a drag strip, and many motorists don't stop for red lights.
Since Jan. 1 through Sept. 3, there have been 18,255 hit-and-run incidents reported in Los Angeles. Thirty of those resulted in someone dying.
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