OXNARD : Drivers Still Sought in Hit-and-Run Cases

Oxnard police still are looking for hit-and-run drivers who seriously injured two boys during the past month, leaving one of them with a skull fracture and broken leg.

A third boy is also recovering from injuries after darting into the path of an oncoming car, traffic officer Joe Johnson said. All three boys--Elijah Ginder, 6, Gerardo Cazares Rodriguez, 7, and Cesar Lopez, 7--are at St. John’s Regional Medical Center.

Elijah was in fair condition Tuesday after a hit-and-run driver slammed into him at Palm Drive and L Street on Thursday. Immediately after the collision, the driver parked his midnight blue, four-door Ford Taurus and gave a damp towel to the boy’s parents, Johnson said. He then fled.

He described the suspect as a heavy-built man, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with black and gray hair. The driver had a mustache and hair on his chin and was wearing business attire.

However, witnesses failed to note the license plate number, Johnson said.

Gerardo, another hit-and-run victim, was in serious condition Tuesday after a pickup truck struck him Dec. 20 as he rode his bicycle in La Colonia.

The boy, who suffered a fractured skull and broken right leg, was cycling north on Marquita Street toward Colonia Park when he tried to cross 1st Street. As he tried to slow the bike, a dark blue pickup truck hit him, throwing him 47 feet.

Police say the truck has a black stripe along its side and a camper shell and may have the numbers 691 on its license plate.

The truck probably was manufactured between 1981 and 1986, but witnesses gave different descriptions of the model, police said.

Cesar was listed in good condition Tuesday with head injuries after darting into the path of a car driving south on Fournier Street about 9:45 p.m. on Dec. 21. The driver, who was traveling 25 m.p.h., was unable to avoid hitting Cesar, authorities said.

Investigators ask anyone with additional information on the hit-and-run incidents to call the Oxnard Police Department at 984-4676.