Speeding Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Teen-Ager

A teen-ager was struck and killed Monday when he left a party at a Chatsworth house and walked into the street to try to slow a car that was repeatedly speeding by, Los Angeles police said.

The 19-year-old Chatsworth man, whose name was not released pending notification of his family, was killed about 3:30 a.m. when he was struck by the speeding car, which then sped away, police said.

Police said they were investigating whether the incident was motivated by a dispute at the party in the 19700 block of Plummer Street that resulted in one party-goer’s ejection.

“We don’t know if this is a murder or a vehicular manslaughter,” Detective Don Bellante said.

A 19-year-old who was ejected from the party was questioned by police Monday, but detectives said he had not been connected to the hit-and-run car.

“We feel he might be able to lead us to who was in the car, but we haven’t been able to connect it all up yet,” Lt. L. A. Durrer said.

Police said a man whose parents had gone to Las Vegas for the weekend held a Sunday evening party that was attended by about 12 friends and lasted well into Monday morning.

“It was a drinking party,” Durrer said. “There was a dispute and one of the young men was told to leave because he was getting too rowdy.”

A short while later, those who remained at the party heard tires squealing as one or two cars continually raced up and down the street in front of the house, Durrer said. Plummer is four lanes wide with houses on the north side and offices on the south side in the area just west of Corbin Avenue.

“The people at the party heard the screeching out front and several people came out,” Durrer said. “The victim came out to try to cool things down, thinking it might have been the man who had been told to leave the party.”

Durrer said it appeared that the teen-ager walked into a traffic lane and may have been signaling for a westbound car to slow when he was struck and killed instantly. Witnesses told police that the car had at least two men in it.

By Monday evening, police had not found the car. It was described as a white Mustang 3 to 8 years old. Durrer said the car, which has a painted gray stripe, would have damage on the right side of its front end.