Los Angeles/ Crime & Emergencies
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Published on February 12, 2024
Gardena Police Searching for Hit-and-Run Driver After Boy Killed, Grandmother HospitalizedSource: Google Street View

Gardena police are on the hunt for a hit-and-run driver who mowed down a 5-year-old boy and his grandmother Sunday morning, causing the boy's tragic death and leaving the grandmother hospitalized.  The collision occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m. at the Marine and Budlong Avenues intersection, with officials stating that both victims were attempting to cross the street in a crosswalk when they fell prey to the vehicle's deadly impact, according to KTLA.

In what unfolded into a tragic scene, the boy, since identified by authorities as Patrick Mateo Chacon, was pronounced dead at the site of the crash, his life snuffed out in a senseless moment the second pedestrian believed to be Chacon's grandmother, fought for life with an unknown fate, the driver who callously fled north on Budlong Avenue after the crash remains at large, as reported by NBC Los Angeles.

As the local community grapples with the aftermath, mourning is expressed through a makeshift memorial of candles, balloons, and a stuffed animal at the scene, meanwhile, law enforcement intensifies their search for the culprit behind the wheel. The whereabouts of the vehicle or the identity of the driver remain shrouded in mystery, with no detailed description yet made available to the public, as per CBS News Los Angeles .

This tragedy struck mere hours after another pedestrian fatality close by, with a woman killed less than two miles away at Vermont Avenue and El Segundo Boulevard, in this instance, the driver stayed on scene, contrast starkly with the ruthless abandon exhibited in the hit-and-run, the LA County Fire Department confirmed the woman was pronounced dead upon their arrival, with the two incidents painting a grim picture of a Sunday marred by loss and evasiveness as the authorities implore anyone with information to reach out and aid in the pursuit of justice, investigators can be contacted at (310) 217-6189.