Man Dies in Crash; Other Driver Arrested
A 37-year-old man who had stopped his car to look at a map was struck and killed early Wednesday by a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs, police said.
Officers arrested Allen Lee Fagerson and booked him on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter at Van Nuys Jail, police said.
The victim, driving a four-door Oldsmobile Intrigue, had apparently stopped his car just after midnight on Paxton Street south of Laurel Canyon Boulevard to look at a map, police said.
He was identified as William Harty, 37, said Mike Riddle, an investigator at the county coroner’s office. Harty was believed to be from the San Francisco area, but officials had not yet verified his city of residence.
Harty was inside the vehicle when his car was struck from behind by a GMC utility truck driven by Fagerson, said LAPD public information Officer Marlo Lopez del Haro.
“We believe he was under the influence of a controlled substance, but we don’t know what kind,” she said.
Paramedics pronounced Harty dead at the scene about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, said coroner’s office spokesman Scott Carrier.
Fagerson was released on a $100,000 bond, police said. The case remained under investigation Wednesday.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
