Woman on Bike Killed, Motorist Is Arrested

A 55-year-old Glendale woman was killed Sunday morning when a car struck her from behind as she rode her bicycle in Woodland Hills. The motorist then fled the scene, Los Angeles police said.

The driver, identified as Jose Chavez, 22, of San Fernando, was pursued by three witnesses, who captured him a short distance away as he tried to remove the bicycle from his front bumper.

The incident occurred on Valley Circle Boulevard just south of Burbank Boulevard, Officer Carl Helm said.

Chavez was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and was being held Sunday in Van Nuys Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Helm said other charges would be filed against Chavez, an illegal alien from Mexico who was working as a custodian for a convalescent home, in connection with driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident, possession of cocaine and marijuana and driving without a license.

The woman’s identity was not released until her relatives could be notified. She was pronounced dead at Northridge Hospital Medical Center at 9:42 a.m., about 45 minutes after the incident, police said.

Chavez’s car was weaving across traffic lanes at about 30 m.p.h. when it struck a curb and then knocked the woman about 50 feet down the road, Helm said.