Officials ID Victim Who Held On To Car For 2 Miles After Being Fatally Struck
TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) — Friends and family left candles and flowers Sunday to remember a man killed by an alleged drunk driver in Torrance on Saturday night.
Officials say Sherri Wilkins, 51, of Torrance, struck 31-year-old Phillip Moreno and continued to drive for two more miles with him clinging to her hood.
KCAL9's Amanda Burden spoke to Moreno's friends and loved ones.
Kayla Olivo was stunned to learn about her friend's death.
"It's still heartbreaking; you can't imagine this happening to anybody," Olivo said.
Moreno, known by good friends as Chud, was struck just before 11:30 p.m. as he was leaving a neighborhood bar and crossing Torrance Boulevard and Madrid Avenue.
Friend Michele Travett said she went the opposite direction to drop her cousin off.
"And then I came back and saw a shoe here and then I got a phone call that the cops were all over," Travett said.
Concerned witnesses told police they forced Wilkins to stop driving. She was taken into custody and charged with DUI and manslaughter.
Moreno was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed from his injuries.
"It's unimaginable. You can't wish that upon your worst enemy," Olivo said.
Police confirm Wilkins has prior convictions, but would not say if they were for hit-and-run or DUI arrests, as his friends allege.
They did say her blood alcohol level was well above the legal limit.
