Woman On Skateboard Killed In Playa Del Rey Hit-And-Run
PLAYA DEL REY (CBSLA) — A Santa Monica man was arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run of a woman who had been showing off her new skateboard in Playa Del Rey early Thursday.
The crash was reported just after 1 a.m. at Pershing Drive and Campdell Street.
Police say the 48-year-old woman was with a friend, leaving a laundromat and showing off her new skateboard. Security video shows the woman and the man inside the laundromat, after which she takes her skateboard out of her SUV to show it off to him.
The woman was riding around in the parking lot area, then headed out into the street wearing a headlamp. She was struck by a car described only as a dark-colored sedan going northbound on Pershing.
The driver did not stop, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. She was identified by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office as Patricia Ann O'Donnell.
Police identified the suspect vehicle as a black Audi A5 and tracked down the driver, 45-year-old Patrick Finkelstein of Santa Monica. He was arrested on suspicion of vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence and is being held on $100,000.
Hayward Brown, who owns the nearby Hayward's kickboxing Center, said he got a few calls telling him about the accident in front of his building. He said that the woman wasn't at a light, and the driver did not have to leave her dying in the street.
"You gotta conscience, it's gonna catch up with you. It's karma, it's gonna get you," Brown said.
LAPD Capt. Brian Wendling said that hit-and-run crashes have become a big problem across Los Angeles.
"Stop. Identify yourself. If you get involved in a traffic collision, don't make it a felony crime," Wendling said. "Just stop, come forward and be part of the solution, not part of the problem."