Investigators asked for help Tuesday in the search for a hit-and-run driver who crashed into an electric scooter rider and ran over the victim several times on a South Los Angeles street.
The fatal collision at about 5:30 p.m. on March 26 was at Hoover Street and 75th Street in the Vermont Knolls area. Christian Lira, 33, was riding the e-scooter south on Hoover Street alongside parked vehicles when he was hit from behind a by a driver.
Lira was propelled forward into parked vehicles before he fell onto the street. The driver ran over Lara and left the scene, police said.
“He was obeying the rules of the road when he was struck from behind,” said LAPD Capt. Tiffany Ayers.
Video and images of the vehicle sought in the investigation were released Tuesday morning at a news conference with the victim’s family. A reward of $50,000 was announced for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the hit-and-run driver.
Investigators said the driver in an older model black Cadillac CTS appeared to run over the victim multiple times when Lira was on the ground.
“Christian was doing absolutely the right thing,” said LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno. “He was farthest over to the right, basically the bike lane, when he was struck from behind by a speeding vehicle that, from what we gathered in the videos, was trying to pass a car in the No. 1 lane.
“After the collision, poor Christian was trapped beneath the vehicle, and the vehicle actually went in reverse, running him over a second time, and the proceeding forward, running over him, basically, a third time.”
Lira’s cause of death was blunt traumatic injuries, according to the medical examiner.
Family members at the Tuesday news conference urged anyone with information about the driver or car to contact authorities.
“He’s truly missed,” said sister Michelle Montejano. “We had lots of good memories. We wish we would have had a lot more.”
The driver left the scene heading south. Moreno said detectives believe the driver is from the area, based on video of the vehicle after the crash.
The car had distinctive rims and an aftermarket hood scoop, Moreno said.
Forty-nine traffic fatalities have been reported this year in the LAPD’s South Traffic Division, most of which were attributed to excessive speed, Moreno said.
“Mistakes happen sometimes, accidents happen, and sometimes it’s just reckless,” Moreno said. “We always tell everybody if you end up in this moment, stop and call for help.”
Anyone with information was asked to call South Traffic Division at 323-421-2500.