CYCLIST KILLED TRYING TO STOP HIT-RUN DRIVER WHO STRUCK ANOTHER CYCLIST IN LONG BEACH
On Monday, August 14, 2017, at approximately 1:17 A.M., officers were dispatched to Long Beach Boulevard and Bort Street regarding a traffic collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian, which resulted in the death of the pedestrian.
When officers arrived on scene, they discovered a male pedestrian lying on the southwest corner of Long Beach Boulevard and Bort Street. They also discovered an abandoned 2000 Ford Expedition on the west service road of Long Beach Boulevard and W. Adams Street.
Long Beach Fire Department Paramedics responded and determined the pedestrian deceased at the scene.
The preliminary investigation revealed that prior to the accident at Long Beach Boulevard and Bort Street, the 2000 Ford Expedition was involved in another accident involving a bicyclist at Long Beach Boulevard and the westbound 91 off ramp. A witness who was also riding with the victim at that accident was trying to prevent the driver from fleeing the scene and jumped on the driver’s side running board of the vehicle and was reaching through the driver’s side window to turn off the cars ignition, when the driver took off southbound Long Beach Boulevard.
The driver then made a turn at a high rate of speed at Bort Boulevard, where the witness/victim fell off the vehicle and struck his head on the curb. The driver then parked his vehicle in the middle of the service road on Long Beach Boulevard and W. Adams Street and fled the scene on foot.
The victim is a 51-year-old resident of Los Angeles. The identity of the victim is being withheld until the next of kin has been notified.
Anyone who may have information regarding this incident is asked to call Long Beach Police Department Collision Investigation Detail Detective Brian Watt at (562) 570-7355. Anonymous tips may be submitted through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to your smart phone (available at the Apple App store and Google Play), or visiting http://www.lacrimestoppers.org/