Search On For Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed 22-Year-Old On E-Scooter
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A 22-year-old man was killed early Saturday morning when he was struck by an unknown vehicle while riding an electric scooter.
The incident occurred at around 2:30 a.m. Saturday on Western Avenue and Olympic Boulevard.
Mario Ramos Morales, the victim, was riding the e-scooter eastbound on Olympic Blvd. when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle, a Dodge Caravan, that was traveling northbound on Western Blvd.
The collision launched Morales off of the scooter, where he collided with the roadway before he was again struck by a second unknown vehicle that was driving Southbound on Western Blvd.
The second vehicle dragged Morales about 60 feet before he finally came to a stop in front of a bus stop. That driver failed to stop following the collision and fled from the scene.
When authorities arrived, they pronounced Morales dead at the scene.
A report from LAPD disclosed that the driver of the first vehicle remained at the scene to cooperate with their investigation, and they determined that neither alcohol nor drugs were a factor in the first collision.
They are still investigating the second collision and searching for the suspect driving the unknown vehicle.
LAPD issued a statement on the incident, where they reminded drivers that it is their duty to pull over and stop following a collision, and that they should both notify emergency services of the incident and remain on scene to identify themselves to investigators. They also noted that the City of Los Angeles amended the Los Angeles Administrative Code in 2015 to created a Hit and Run Reward Program Trust Fund, which offers rewards of up to $50,000 if community members are able to assist in providing information that leads to the arrest or identification of a hit-and-run suspect.
Friends and family of Morales gathered at the intersection later Saturday evening at a memorial for their lost loved one.
Anyone with information was asked to contact West Traffic Division detectives at (213) 473-0234.
(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
