Driver Flees After Car Kills Pedestrian

Police officers are looking for the driver of a car that struck and killed a man Monday on Reseda Boulevard in Northridge, carrying the body on the hood for more than 250 feet before it stopped and the driver fled on foot, Los Angeles police said.

Sgt. Dennis Zine said the victim, Santiago Valdez, 24, of Northridge, was within a crosswalk near Bryant Street about 9:10 p.m. when he was struck by a 1966 Toyota traveling north on Reseda Boulevard.

Valdez was hurled onto the hood of the car, Zine said, and witnesses reported that the driver made no attempt to stop. Valdez was dead when paramedics arrived moments after the accident.

The car was discovered a few blocks from the intersection, but the driver had run off, Zine said.

The wife of the registered owner of the car said her husband sold the vehicle about a year ago, Zine said. The woman said her husband was out of town, and traffic investigators were unable to locate him to determine who purchased the auto, he said.