Dennis RomeroUpdated at the bottom with an additional death. Headline has changed. First posted at 7:01 a.m.
See also: Chief Beck's Hit-and-Run Crisis.
Three people, including a 3-year-old, died in hit-and-run collisions over the weekend, police said.
In the case of the toddler, a 50-year-old unlicensed driver identified as Froebel Sanchez was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run with injuries, according to the LAPD. In two other incidents, both in the Valley, arrests had yet to be made:
The toddler died at a hospital after he was hit at 42nd Place and Wadsworth Avenue about 6:10 p.m. Saturday, police said.
The suspect didn't stop, but cops got a license plate number for a car and tracked the alleged driver to his L.A. home, according to the LAPD.
Anyone who witnessed the hit-and-run was asked to call detectives at 213-972-1825.
Then, on Ventura Boulevard near Fairway Avenue in Studio City about 11:42 p.m. Saturday, a car, possibly a white Mercedes-Benz CLS, hit a man crossing Ventura, police said.
The victim, an unidentified 35-year-old from Santa Monica, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, cops said.
The suspect took off in the car, according to an LAPD statement:
The Mercedes involved in the collision sustained major front-end damage and was last seen eastbound on Ventura Boulevard.
Credit: Mercedes-Benz CLS via MBUSA.
Know who it might be? Call detectives at 818-644-8037.
Finally, at about 1:45 a.m. yesterday a possibly drunk driver careened into two people and hit a car's open door at a valet stand on Ventura Boulevard near Kester Avenue.
Reports indicate it happened outside a spot called Vibe Cafe.
The suspect's vehicle was a Hyundai, police said. The victim's was a Ford Focus. He and a valet were struck, according to the LAPD.
But it was the 22-year-old driver of the Focus who ended up hospitalized in critical condition, cops said. Late last night City News Service reported that he died.
The valet, who had been opening the door for the victim, was uninjured, cops said:
The driver of the Hyundai failed to stop to render aid and sped away westbound Ventura Blvd.
If you know anything about the “silver, newer model Hyundai” or its driver, detectives would like to hear from you: 818-644-8032.
[Update at 12:08 p.m.]: Add another death to the weekend's hit-and-run toll.
Nineteen-year-old Djenaba Michelle Ejukwa-Williams of L.A. was struck by a northbound car as she crossed Central Avenue at 102nd Street about 12:26 a.m. yesterday, LAPD Det. Jimmy Render told the Weekly.
Police got a partial plate number for what witnesses said could be an early '00s Ford Taurus, he said. Investigators were canvassing the area for the vehicle as we spoke, he added.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
The car might have either street racing or being used in a bout of road rage, Render said.
The detective decried the “influx” of hit-and-run collisions in the city recently. He said that if otherwise legal drivers, even ones without licenses, stay at the scene of an accident that wasn't their fault …
… we're not going to arrest them. We're not going to deport anyone.
Those who leave such a scene, however, face as many as 10 years behind bars when they're caught, Render said.
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