Authorities have identified a person of interest in an apparently intentional hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a teenager late last week in the parking lot of BMO Stadium in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park neighborhood.
California Highway Patrol investigators said the fatal Nov. 22 crash occurred around 4:30 p.m. on Figueroa Street, north of Martin Luther Jr. It started with an argument between a group of people and the driver of a blue BMW. Main street.
Details are limited and it is unclear what led to the crash, but the situation continued into the BMO Stadium parking lot on the grounds of Expo Park, where it “collided with another vehicle, identified as a black Honda sedan.” ” said the CHP. in a news release updated Sunday evening.
The boy, identified by his family as Jonathan Flores, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police tape placed around a bicycle after a fatal hit-and-run crash in the BMO Stadium parking lot on Nov. 22, 2024. (KTLA) People seen hugging each other after a deadly hit-and-run that claimed the lives of 16 people. A 1-year-old boy at Expo Park on November 22, 2024. (KTLA) People were seen hugging each other after a hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a 16-year-old boy. Exposition Park on November 22, 2024. (KTLA) A small memorial near the scene of Jonathan Flores’ death on November 22, 2024. (KTLA) This undated photo shows a bicycle in the BMO Stadium parking lot. (KTLA)
The next day, Nov. 23, CHP detectives executed a search warrant at a Los Angeles residence believed to be associated with the suspects and located two vehicles, a blue 2021 BMW sedan and a black 2018 Honda Accord. It was confiscated.
“During the investigation, a 28-year-old Hispanic male from Los Angeles was identified as a person of interest and is believed to have been driving the Honda Accord that struck and killed the 16-year-old boy,” the CHP said. he added.
It is unclear whether the 28-year-old man was taken into custody.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, chairman of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, said harsher penalties for hit-and-runs would prevent such crimes from happening.
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“The penalties for hit-and-run and street assault are ridiculous,” a community activist told KTLA. “This is a misdemeanor that carries only a few days in jail. You’re not only talking about felonies, which is understandable, but you’re talking about serious incidents involving loss of life, and our enforcement is… It’s very loose.”
Investigators urge anyone with information about the driver involved or the investigation itself to contact the CHP Major Crimes Unit at 323-644-9550 or the LA Communications Center at 323-259-3200 outside of normal business hours. I am inviting you to contact me.
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