Motorist Strikes, Kills 13-Year-Old Boy
A speeding car driven by a woman in the midst of a traffic dispute ran a red light Friday, striking and killing a 13-year-old boy who had just gotten off a school bus, Los Angeles traffic police said.
The boy, who was not identified, was crossing Shoup Avenue at Oxnard Street about 3:55 p.m., when a car traveling west on Oxnard Street sped through the traffic signal and hit him, sending him flying 60 feet from the intersection, Officer Victor Martin said.
Witnesses told police that the driver of the car, Joan Mills, 46, of Woodland Hills, was distracted at the time of the accident because she was shaking her finger at another motorist who had apparently cut her off, Martin said.
After the accident, Mills drove home, Martin said, but her husband drove back to the scene and asked officers if someone had been hit.
“He said his wife had thought she hit a dog,” Martin said.
Mills, who was driving between 45 m.p.h. and 50 m.p.h. in a 35-m.p.h. zone, was charged with hit-and-run, Martin said.
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