Driver, 19, Killed Trying To Stop Man From Stealing His Car In Boyle Heights
BOYLE HEIGHTS (CBSLA.com) — Police say a 19-year-old man was killed in a bizarre turn of events that began with a hit-and-run and ended with an attempted car theft in Boyle Heights Sunday.
Family members say Oscar Perez was killed after he jumped on the hood of his Nissan Altima as a thief drove off with it.
He died after the car slammed into the side of a building at Olympic Boulevard near Esperanza Street.
LAPD say it started around 3:50 p.m. when a 16-year old unlicensed driver in a Toyota RAV4 hit the victim's Altima at 11th Street and Evergreen Avenue.
The 16-year-old tried to drive away and crashed at Pico Boulevard and Grande Vista Avenue.
The victim and his brother had been chasing after him and got out of the Altima to confront the 16-year-old.
The two got into an altercation and the Altima was left unattended.
That's when police say a passerby noticed the keys in the Altima and stole it.
The victim jumped on the hood and the thief tried to shake him loose.
Witness Sergio Espinoza says the victim was hanging from the door as the car sped right by him.
"I thought they were playing but he kept speeding up," Espinoza said.
Police say the Altima was going very fast when it crashed into this building on Pico and Esperanza. The impact started a fire.
The victim's brother had been running after the car and saw Perez lying in the street.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspected car thief was critically injured.
