On New Year's Eve, just before midnight, Jorge Alberto Molina, a 27-year-old Culver City resident, ran a red light on Florence Avenue at Van Ness Avenue in Inglewood. Two traffic cops patrolling the area immediately began a pursuit of the driver, who, according to the LAPD report, was going at “a high rate of speed in a westerly direction.”

That's when the officers witnessed the death of 50-year-old Demetria Dorsey and her husband, 54-year-old Kelvin Dorsey.

Molina had run another red light at Florence Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, the officers' sirens blazing behind him. It just so happened that the Dorseys' black SUV was crossing the intersection at the same moment —

So that the Infinity was broadsided by Molina's white Geo Prism. Molina is now charged with two counts of murder.

No announcement of the crash was ever posted to the LAPD website or blog. Today, a representative from media relations put one up at our request. It reads:

When the driver of the car did not stop, the officers radioed that they were in pursuit. Moments later, the driver sped through the intersection of Florence Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard without attempting to stop for a red light. The suspect collided with a black, Infinity Sport Utility Vehicle which had been southbound on Crenshaw Boulevard. The impact caused the SUV to roll over and strike a pole, where it came to rest.

The release also determines that the double murder was an attempted hit-and-run:

The suspect, identified as Jorge Alberto Molina of Culver City, described as a male, Hispanic, 27 Years-old, ran from the scene and collapsed approximately 20 yards south of the collision. Molina was taken into custody without further incident by responding officers. He suffered a minor injury from the traffic collision. Investigators established probable cause to believe that Molina was under the influence of alcohol.

A detective from the South Traffic Division would only say, “[The officers] were pursuing a reckless driver.” She says the head detective on the case won't be in until tomorrow. The cops' names are Officer Bronnel and Officer Lopez — traffic cops from the South Traffic Division “assigned to a crime suppression detail in 77th Street Area,” according to the release.

Firefighters quickly arrived to the scene, where Kelvin had already been pronounced dead. His wife, who had been driving, died shortly after at a nearby hospital. Police reported the married couple of 18 years had been “returning home from a function at a co-workers residence,” but family members told KTLA that Kelvin and Demetria “had been returning from church when the accident happened.”

The Dorseys leave behind several children — the youngest a 15-year-old — and grandchildren.

One of their daughters, Trameika Dorsey, also “criticized police for chasing the suspected drunken driver. She told KTLA that she believed the police were partly to blame for the deadly accident.”

The LAPD have recorded three hit-and-runs, two fatal, in the last week alone (including the death of video-game casting director Brigitte Burdine).

KTLA's footage of the crash, with commentary from friends and family:

 

A commenter on a local blog, Wanda Swain, who says she used to work with the Dorseys (Kelvin was a retired Postal worker; Demetria, was a postal supervisor), had this to say about the couple:

“When my husband and I receieved the horrible news of the lost of Kelvin and Dementria Dorsey I couldn't do anything but fall to my knees in grief. We moved to Georgia over 5 years ago, but never from our postal family. Kelvin's smile will never be forgotten. I remembered Dementria from the stations, beautiful person and will be missed.”

As for Culver City Patch — we would have hoped to see Echo Park-caliber coverage in a situation like this.

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