$50K Reward Offered In Fatal Hit-And-Run Crash That Killed Woman, 79
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The family of a 79-year-old woman fatally struck by a pickup truck as she crossed a South Los Angeles street made a tearful plea for help to track down the motorist responsible for her death.
Maria Covarrubias was crossing Western Avenue at 79th Street at about 5:30 a.m. on Sept. 14 when she was struck by a black pickup truck.
"It's just hard to know that she's gone, that somebody took her life," said Yanni Covarrubias, the victim's niece.
"To the person that did this – please turn yourself in," said Nellie Covarrubias, another niece of the victim. "Do the right thing and turn yourself in, and allow the family…to begin a healing process."
The vehicle was described as a black Chevrolet Avalanche with gray trim, missing a front Chevrolet emblem and a passenger side mirror.
No description of the driver was available. Police said the driver returned to the scene of the accident before speeding off.
"We found out that after several minutes, the driver doubled back to Western (Avenue) and went down to Manchester (Avenue)," LAPD Detective Sandra Smith said.
A reward of up to $50,000 is being offered by the city of Los Angeles for information that helps police track down the driver. Anyone with information on the case can call Detectives Michael Flannery or Ryan Moreno at (323) 421-2500, or (877) LAPD-247.
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