LOS ANGELES—After a series of hit-and-runs in the Jefferson Park area of Los Angeles, authorities are asking for the public’s help, hoping that rewards of up to $25,000 could aid in solving the crimes.
“In all three instances, the drivers ... failed to stop and/or render aid to the victims,” police said on Jan. 20.
On Jan. 5, 46-year-old Nallely Oregel was walking her dog on Fourth Avenue at 30th Street when a silver mid-size SUV traveling at a high rate of speed ran off the roadway and onto the sidewalk, striking her and her dog.
On Jan. 7, 25-year-old Giovanny Castro was riding a scooter south on Western Avenue at 29th Street when he was struck from behind by a gray compact vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed.
And on Jan. 11, a man suffered “massive head trauma” when he was struck by a maroon Chevrolet Trailblazer as he walked on Jefferson Boulevard near 11th Avenue. He was hospitalized on life support.
On Jan. 20, authorities held a news conference and released security images for all three cases. It was announced at the conference that the man injured in the Jan. 11 hit-and-run, Luis Alberto Martinez, had died at the hospital.
“We [want] justice—for my mother-in-law, for our family,” Jasmen Otero, a relative of Martinez, said at the news conference.
“So, if you guys have any information, please call to help us out, to help my mother-in-law from this pain and everything, because it’s too much for her.”
No arrests have been reported. Police are circulating security images in connection with the three cases and are seeking the public’s help to find the motorists.
The City of Los Angeles has authorized standing rewards of up to $25,000 for help in solving non-fatal hit-and-run cases.
Anyone with information on any of the cases is urged to call the LAPD South Traffic Division at 323-421-2500, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
