Van Driver Accused of Killing Deliberately

A Pacoima man who allegedly killed a stranger by running over him repeatedly with his van was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder, Los Angeles police said.

Detective Al Ferrand said Arthur Hanna, 45, was being held without bail at the Foothill police station after witnesses accused him of deliberately killing George Rivera in a Tuesday night fight at a Pacoima shopping center.

Ferrand said Hanna reportedly ran down Rivera after he argued with Rivera and three other men in the parking lot of a small shopping center on Glenoaks Boulevard in Pacoima. Hanna had apparently never met the men before, Ferrand said. The nature of the argument was not immediately clear, Ferrand said.

Witnesses told police that Hanna ended the argument by striking one of Rivera’s friends in the head with “some kind of stick or club,” Ferrand said. Hanna then climbed into his van and drove it towards Rivera, who tried unsuccessfully to run away, Ferrand said.

“The suspect pursued the victim through the parking lot in his van and subsequently ran him down,” Ferrand said. “The victim was run over repeatedly and dragged across the parking lot . . . “

Rivera, 49, of Pacoima, died in surgery at Holy Cross Hospital at 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, a hospital spokeswoman said. Hanna, who left the scene of the accident, was arrested in his van on Tuesday morning in Pacioma.

Ferrand said the other men involved in the argument had not been located.