Fatal Hit-and-Run Case Solvable, Police Say

After spending the day piecing together evidence from a bizarre, double hit-and-run accident that took the life of a 16-year-old Taft High School student, police detectives said Saturday they believe the case is solvable.

Bobby Hobdy was hit by a minivan on Century Boulevard in Watts while using a crosswalk to get to a bus stop for his daily trip to Taft High in Woodland Hills. He was struck again moments later by another car and died at the scene. Both vehicles left the accident site without stopping, police said.

Although police said they do not have a description of the second vehicle, officials said they think they have enough evidence to solve the case.

Police are looking at debris left at the scene of the accident by the two cars. Fragments of headlights and glass, as well as an analysis of Hobdy’s injuries, can be used to decipher the year and make of the two vehicles, police said. Then they can search state databases of similar vehicles to help find the owners.

“In a case like this, we use whatever we find at the scene, pieces of the car, tire marks,” said Officer Jeffrey Buckwell of the Collision Investigation Unit at the South Traffic Division.

Buckwell said pieces of vehicles may have distinguishing characteristics, such as paint color and even serial numbers.

“It helps, too, because if we find a windshield wiper on the ground, we know the car we’re looking for is missing its windshield wiper. We get that information out immediately,” said Buckwell.

Police use physical evidence in conjunction with information they get from witnesses.

In this case, witnesses have not said much except that there were two vehicles, the first being a light blue Plymouth minivan, most likely a 1987 or 1989 model, with extensive damage to the front grille from the accident. Its driver is described as a black man, 28 to 30 years old.

Hit-and-run accidents are a perennial problem in Los Angeles, police say, for a variety of reasons. Some drivers leave the scene because they have outstanding warrants. Others flee out of fright.

“Sometimes people do get scared and leave, but a lot of times it means they have a skeleton in their own closet, like a suspended license or a warrant for their arrest,” Buckwell said.

Buckwell said he hopes the drivers will turn themselves in.

“Hopefully, they’ll go home, think about what they’ve done, see the pain they’ve caused and decide to do what’s right,” he said.