PICO-UNION : Driver Faces Charges in Fatal Collision
A 19-year-old man faces manslaughter charges after a car accident in which a 40-year-old woman died.
Juan Carlos Cruz, of the Pico-Union area, was traveling eastbound on Pico Boulevard in his 1977 Toyota Corolla about 7 p.m. Monday when he made an illegal left turn onto Berendo Street and struck a 1994 Kia sedan driven by Si Chu Sung, 43, police said. Cruz then fled the scene, police said.
Sung’s wife, Hwa Jun Sung, who was in the passenger seat, suffered serious chest injuries and died at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. The driver was not injured, police said.
Witnesses had noted Cruz’s license plate and reported it to police, who arrested him at his home, said Los Angeles Police Officer Tia Morris.
Cruz was initially charged with felony hit-and-run, but the charges were upgraded to manslaughter when the victim died, Morris said.
Cruz is due in court June 27.
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