Victim’s Family Seeks Hit-Run Driver

Milton Augusto Lopez could have been just another tragic statistic, one of an untold number of people killed every year by hit-and-run drivers who are never brought to justice.

But family and friends of Lopez, a 38-year-old Reseda man who was killed Dec. 18 in the Canoga Park-Winnetka area, are trying to change that. They gathered Thursday to ask the public for help in identifying the driver responsible for killing Lopez, the father of an 8-year-old girl, and a devoted son and well-liked friend and neighbor.

“Please help me try to find the person who’s at fault,” pleaded his mother, 62-year-old Concepcion Lopez, who had lived with her son and had been supported by him until his death.

“I don’t want this to be another file, just another hit-and-run case,” said the grieving woman. “I need to know who’s at fault. I want this person to pay for this crime.”

Lopez was hit by a northbound vehicle at about 8:40 p.m. on Dec. 18 as he crossed De Soto Avenue mid-block, just north of Chase Street. The driver of the car that hit Lopez made no effort to stop even though Lopez was dragged until the vehicle crashed into a parked car, according to police.

A witness told police that a second vehicle was behind the hit-and-run vehicle and probably saw more. “We need [that driver] to contact us,” said Det. Jayme Weaver of the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division. The hit-and-run vehicle probably had damage to the right front fender, hood or windshield.

Lopez died at the scene from massive head injuries. At the time of his death, he was about to leave for a trip to visit his daughter, Belicia Graciela Lopez, in Kentucky.

“The poor child is heartbroken,” said Leticia Rasmussen of Reseda, a family friend.

Lopez’s funeral was paid for by his neighbors and many friends, whom his mother said she wanted to thank.

“The whole neighborhood knew him,” Rasmussen said. “He had a good heart, he was a great guy.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Weaver of the Valley Traffic Division at (818) 756-8391.