Family and friends of a 16-year-old boy who was allegedly targeted by a hit-and-run driver in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park neighborhood last week attended an emotional vigil Monday night outside BMO Stadium, where the boy was killed. did.
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 parking lot of BMO Stadium on the grounds of Expo Park, and shortly afterward, a vehicle identified as a “black Honda sedan and a vehicle,” the CHP said. said in an updated news release Sunday evening.
The driver left the boy, later identified by his family as Jonathan “Junior” Flores, in the middle of MLK Boulevard, where he was pronounced dead.
Now, his grieving family must deal with this terrible loss before Thanksgiving.
“It’s a really bad situation,” the victim’s mother, Briana de Leon, told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “It’s not easy.”
Jonathan Junior Flores, 16, is pictured in this undated photo. (Vanessa De Leon, via GoFundMe) People are seen hugging each other after a hit-and-run that claimed the life of a 16-year-old boy at Exposition Park on November 22, 2024. (KTLA) Police tape was placed around a bicycle after a fatal hit-and-run crash in the BMO Stadium parking lot on Nov. 22, 2024. (KTLA) People were seen hugging after a fatal hit-and-run that claimed the life of a 16-year-old boy at Exposition Park on Nov. 22, 2024. (KTLA) A small memorial near the site where Jonathan Flores died on November 22, 2024. (KTLA)
Jonathan’s friends, including those who were with him that night, have visited the crash site to pay their respects.
“To be honest, I’m going to miss him,” Luis Juarez said. “I can’t stop crying. He wasn’t my brother, but I see him as one.”
The day after the fatal hit-and-run, CHP detectives executed a search warrant at a Los Angeles home believed to be associated with the suspect, where they located a blue 2021 BMW sedan and a black 2018 Honda Accord. A number of vehicles were impounded.
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“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.
So far, the 28-year-old man has not been arrested.
“It’s not fair that he left someone lying there to die and then he took off,” said Sandra de Leon, Jonathan’s aunt. “Heartbreaking, 16-year-old. He wasn’t there for him.”
This teen’s mother wants justice.
“This man took his life,” she said. “He knew what he was doing and he did it on purpose. That’s no good. I hope Junior gets justice.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been organized to help pay for Jonathan’s restful sleep.
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