Victim In Drunk Driving WeHo Accident Speaks Out
WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBS) — The driver admitted he was drunk...on tape no less. He plowed into another car in West Hollywood last month and then disappeared into the night...on foot.
Now, the victim — a man by the name of Frank Rivera — has come forward and he wants to know why the driver hasn't been arrested.
He spoke exclusively with KCAL9's Juan Fernandez on the news at 10 p.m. Monday.
Said Rivera, "I was a block and a half from home. It makes me think, you're not even safe at a red light."
The accident occurred at Fountain at Laurel. Nearby resident Brian Hamilton heard the crash and went to the scene with his new Kodak Playtouch camera.
There he kept his camera inconspicuous but caught the driver of a BMW 325i making incriminating statements, including that he "was drunk as s---."
He also caught the driver trying to offer cash to Hamilton, specifically $6,000, to make his problem go away. "Can I just give you cash, bro? I really don't want to go to jail, bro. I'm drunk."
The admittedly drunk driver walked off into the night and ducked into an apartment building...presumably where he lived. (The car was impounded at the scene.)
Deputies will only identfy the BMW driver as a WeHo resident and aspiring actor. The video of the crash aftermath has been posted on youtube, but probably not the kind of video calling card he wants.
Rivera is told "several other cases" are ahead of his. For his part, Rivera is less angry than puzzled. "The next person he hits may die," he told Juan Fernandez, "I just hope he comes forward ... and gets some help before anyone else gets hurt."
