High-speed hit-and-run kills 2 in South L.A.; suspect held after chase by witnesses
A fleeing suspect in a high-speed hit-and-run crash in South Los Angeles was arrested early Sunday after being chased by witnesses, police said.
The crash occurred at 12:38 a.m. about a half-mile west of Exposition Park, at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, killing a 21-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman, Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Melissa Podany said.
Traffic deaths hit a 20-year high in Los Angeles last year.
The couple were in a white BMW pulling out of a fast-food restaurant when they were struck by a white Jeep Wrangler Rubicon driven by a 32-year-old man heading east at a high speed on Martin Luther King Jr. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
“After the collision the driver fled immediately on foot. There were witnesses that basically gave chase, followed him, tried to stay within eyesight of the suspect, which ultimately led to his being taken into custody,” LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno told reporters at the scene.
The impact knocked the BMW across the street and into parked cars.
Investigators told ABC7 they are looking into whether the suspect was under the influence of alcohol and whether he was involved in a nearby street takeover prior to the crash, based on witness statements.
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