Pico Union residents placed candles, flowers, beers and a baseball hat on the sidewalk near where a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a man on Saturday evening.
Paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the scene around 11:40 p.m. for reports of a man who was hit by a vehicle and was laying in the street. The incident was reported as a traffic accident, according to LAFD. Someone performed CPR on the man before paramedics arrived, but he died from his injuries near the intersection of Bonnie Brae Street and Venice Boulevard, according to authorities.
A man sitting near the memorial on Tuesday said he had been friends with the victim for more than 20 years and knew his name was Jorge. A hat placed at the sidewalk memorial read “RIP Jorge.” The man declined to provide his name, but said Jorge was from Honduras, worked as an electrician, lived in Pico Union and was a father.
“I feel terrible. It’s really painful for me to know that he’s gone,” he said. “One day we’re here and the next we don’t know. I imagine it’s a tremendous pain for his family. It’s such a shame. I’m going to miss him a lot.”
Initial reports from the scene were that the incident was a hit-and-run, but the LAPD later clarified the driver did stop following the crash. Authorities did not immediately release any information about the driver or if they will face any charges.
The victim’s name is being withheld until the next of kin can be notified, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office. Authorities confirmed the man was in his 60s and died at the scene shortly before midnight.
Business owner Ricardo Munguia, didn’t know the man who was hitJorge, but he said that drivers speed on Venice Boulevard and ignore the pedestrian crosswalk near the intersection.
“I think there’s a real problem here with cars speeding, going 70, 80. There are drivers who don’t respect the signage and lights at the pedestrian crosswalk. They’re always going really fast and passing through without stopping,” Munguia said. “I don’t know why the authorities don’t do anything.”
Other neighbors shared Munguia’s concerns, saying that a traffic light is needed, rather than relying solely on a pedestrian crosswalk.
Anyone with information mayis urged to contact Detective Holmes at the LAPD’s West Traffic Division at (213) 473-0216.
