Motorist Charged in Fatal Hit-and-Run

A suspected drunk driver who allegedly struck and killed a 74-year-old Reseda woman on her way home from church Sunday evening was charged Wednesday with various felonies, including two counts of vehicular manslaughter and one count of hit-and-run, authorities said.

Alfredo Elizade Rodriguez, 21, who was visiting from Mexico with relatives in Arleta, made a brief appearance at the Van Nuys Municipal Court on Wednesday, but his arraignment was continued until Dec. 18, a court clerk said.

Rodriguez also faces two counts of driving under the influence, one count each of gross negligence and using false identification, and one misdemeanor count of driving without a license, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Rafaela Saavedra of Reseda was hit Sunday at about 7 p.m., near the intersection of Sherman Way and Reseda Boulevard, according to police records.

Saavedra had just gotten off a bus and was walking across Sherman Way when she was struck by a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass, said Robert Cohen, the deputy district attorney handling the case.

Several drivers who witnessed the accident tried to block Rodriguez from leaving the scene, but he went over a median strip and eluded them, Cohen said.

An Encino man who gave chase took Rodriguez’s license plate number and turned it over to police. The license was traced to the Arleta residence, according to authorities.

Rodriguez is being held at the Los Angeles County Jail in lieu of $175,000 pending his arraignment, according to authorities said.