LAPD searches for driver after South LA hit-and-run kills teen, critically injures sister
Teen killed in hit-and-run, sister injured
Police are searching for the hit-and-run driver who killed a teen boy and critically injured his sister in Hyde Park.
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who struck two teenage siblings in South Los Angeles on Tuesday night, killing a 16-year-old boy and leaving his 14-year-old sister in critical condition as they walked alongside their mother.
What we know:
The crash happened around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 5900 block of 10th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood as the mother and her two children were crossing 60th Street southbound, according to the LAPD.
A blue Nissan Sentra traveling eastbound on 60th Street apparently ran a red light before striking the siblings, authorities said. Security footage captured the vehicle speeding by. The mother, who witnessed the crash, was able to pull her daughter away from a direct hit and was not struck herself.
Following the crash, the car collided with a parked vehicle and became disabled. The female driver and male passenger ditched the car and ran away from the scene, police said.
Emergency responders pronounced the 16-year-old boy, identified by family as Hernan Martinez, dead at the scene. Paramedics transported his 14-year-old sister, Vicky, to a nearby hospital in critical condition with a fractured pelvis. Hernan had celebrated his 16th birthday just three days earlier on Sunday.
What they're saying:
Witnesses at the scene claimed that before police arrived, someone approached the crashed vehicle, removed items from the trunk—including alcohol bottles and a baby bag—and took a baby out from the passenger door. LAPD could not immediately confirm those details.
Hernan's older brother, 20-year-old Eliseo Martinez Fernandez, shared that the family had just moved to the neighborhood a week ago. He noted that the family has not yet told Vicky about her brother's death while she recovers in the hospital.
"She doesn’t know... She did [ask questions], but we lied to her. We told her he was at a different hospital," Eliseo said, describing his brother as a "mommy's boy" who loved baking, arts, and crafts.
What we don't know:
Investigators have not yet released a detailed description of the female driver or the passenger.
It's unknown whether speed or impairment played a factor in the collision, or if investigators have identified the registered owner of the vehicle.
What you can do:
The city of Los Angeles is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the hit-and-run driver. A GoFundMe has been created to help the family.
The Source: This report is based on information provided by the Los Angeles Police Department and video footage taken directly at the scene of the collision. City News Service contributed.