Woman identified as person of interest in Echo Park hit-and-run that killed couple in 2020

A woman who previously lived in Whittier, Bell, Covina, and Commerce has been identified as a person of interest in a 2020 hit-and-run crash that killed a married couple in Echo Park.

Angelique Teresa Chaidez, 46, is wanted for questioning in the Feb. 24, 2020 hit-and-run that killed 58-year-old Morena Del Carmen Alvarado Lopez and severely injured her husband, 71-year-old Juan Monroy Bahena.

The couple were just short of the north curb of Sunset Boulevard at White Knoll Drive when they were hit by a dark-colored vehicle and dragged about 50 feet before they were dislodged. Lopez died at the scene, and Bahena eventually died of the severe injuries he sustained on May 28, 2020.

Detectives have since received information about the crash that led them to identify Chaidez as a person of interest in the crash, police said Thursday.

Chaidez is described as a 5-foot-8 Hispanic woman about 175 pounds, with red or blonde hair and blue eyes. She has previously lived in Whittier, Bell, Covina, and Commerce. Police say she is the subject of an arrest warrant for a failure-to-appear felony.

A reward of up to $50,000 is available for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in a hit-and-run crash. Anyone with information about Chaidez or the 2020 crash can contact LAPD Central Traffic Detective Juan Campos at (213) 833-3713 or via email at 31480@LAPD.Online, or contact Central Traffic Division's watch commander at (213) 833-3746.