One person is dead, and another person has been placed under arrest after a hit-and-run crash in the Tujunga neighborhood early Monday morning.
KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles reports that the crash happened at approximately 1:40 a.m. near the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Pinewood Avenue when the driver of a black BMW collided with a blue Hyundai Elantra.
According to a statement by Captain Brian Wendling with the Los Angeles Police Department, the BMW was traveling southbound at a high rate of speed when it collided with the other vehicle. The force of the impact pushed the Hyundai into some traffic barrier, killing the motorist inside. The unidentified victim is said to have been in his 80’s.
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Officials have not released the name of the victim pending notification of his family. Investigators say that the Hyundai was a rental vehicle and that the victim was visiting the greater Los Angeles area from out of state. It is believed that the victim may have been living in the car.
The driver of the BMW fled the scene on foot immediately following the crash. Captain Wendling told reporters that bloodhounds had been summoned to the scene to search for the suspect. It was then that the driver of the BMW came forward and surrendered himself to the police.
The driver was placed under arrest and was taken into custody, and police have not released his identity. He faces at minimum the charge of felony hit-and-run. Authorities have not said whether impairment played any role in the crash.
Surveillance video from the scene showed that police detained and questioned two other people that were later released. Officials have not said what their connection to the fatal crash might be.
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