Hunt Continues For Carjacking Suspect Who Left 67-Year-Old With Critical Injuries
HAWAIIAN GARDENS (CBSLA.com) — Detectives are looking for a carjack suspect who dragged a 67-year-old man with his own truck in Hawaiian Gardens in June.
Officials said the incident occurred June 25th about 1:50 p.m. in the 12400 block of Carson Street.
The unidentified victim was run over by his own truck, authorities said.
The horrifying ordeal was caught on camera.
Stacey Butler, reporting for KCAL9, said it was hard to believe the victim survived and the images are disturbing. "But the victim is alive and recovering," she reported.
Detectives told Butler that after months of investigation, their leads have run dry. They are releasing the videotape in the hopes that the public can help them nab the carjacker.
The victim reportedly parked his truck in the driveway of an auto shop and left the keys in the ignition. The suspect rode his bicycle past the truck, then returned and placed his bicycle in the bed of the truck, entered the driver's seat and started the vehicle.
Realizing that the suspect was attempting to steal his truck, the victim ran outside and grabbed onto the driver's side door.
After a brief struggle, authorities say the suspect put the vehicle in reverse with the driver's side door still open. The door caught the victim and dragged him approximately 25 feet. Officials said the suspect continued in reverse and ran over the victim.
The victim sustained a fractured pelvis, fractured ribs and minor bleeding around his brain. The unidentified man was hospitalized for what officials described as "a significant amount of time."
The suspect -- a man in a blue t-shirt and shaved head -- fled westbound on Carson Street.
The victim's truck was found abandoned and recovered a day after the incident about 15 miles away in South Gate.
A surveillance camera from a nearby business captured the incident on video and detectives obtained still photos of the suspect from the video.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Perez at (562) 623-3566.
