BMW driver arrested after allegedly running down man panhandling in Palmdale, police say

A 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon Thursday after authorities say he intentionally rammed his BMW into a man who was panhandling in Palmdale.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were sent to the intersection of 10th Street West and Avenue O-8 shortly after 1:15 p.m. in response to calls about a pedestrian who was hit by a car.

Witnesses told deputies that the driver of a black BMW, later identified by authorities as Creg Sullivan, was involved in an argument outside his car with a panhandler on the street.

Eventually, Sullivan got back into his car and the man stood in front of the vehicle with his hands on the hood, witnesses said. Sullivan accelerated, striking the man, who rolled over the hood and fell onto the street. Sullivan drove off, sheriff’s officials said.

Authorities could not immediately confirm whether the pedestrian sustained any injuries. Deputies arrested Sullivan about an hour later at a home in Palmdale. He is being held in lieu of $30,000 bail, according to jail records.