A man in his 30s riding a bicycle was severely injured early on June 21 when a dark gray vehicle veered into oncoming lanes on Venice Boulevard, struck him, and sped off without stopping. The crash happened around 2:25 a.m. near Venice Boulevard and Burlington Avenue in the Pico-Union area west of downtown Los Angeles, and the driver has not been identified.
According to MyNewsLA.com, the vehicle was traveling west on Venice Boulevard when it crossed into oncoming lanes and struck the bicyclist in the eastbound lanes east of Burlington Avenue. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene and transported the victim to a hospital. LAPD's Central Traffic Division is now asking the public for help identifying the driver, who left the man injured in the roadway.
Anyone with information can call Central Traffic Division at 213-833-3713, where Officer Herrera is available to speak with people providing tips about the crash, per the outlet's report. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or through lacrimestoppers.org.
A Dangerous Stretch of Road With a History
The crash site sits on Venice Boulevard, which the Los Angeles Department of Transportation has designated part of its High Injury Network — a classification covering just 6% of city street mileage where more than 65% of severe and fatal pedestrian and bicyclist collisions occur, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. While LADOT and Metro completed a Venice Boulevard safety project in June 2023 adding four miles of parking-protected bike lanes between Inglewood and National boulevards, those protections do not extend eastward into Pico-Union, leaving cyclists in the area more exposed at night.
Los Angeles voters passed Measure HLA in March 2024 with 65.5% approval, a measure that legally requires the city to install protected bike lanes and other Mobility Plan 2035 safety features whenever it repaves street segments of at least one-eighth of a mile, per Ballotpedia. Implementation of those upgrades across the city's street network has been slow, according to a timeline compiled by Streetsblog LA.
Part of a Wider Pattern in Pico-Union
This is not the only severe hit-and-run LAPD has investigated in the neighborhood this year. Less than three weeks after the Venice Boulevard crash, a pedestrian in his 30s was severely injured on July 13 in another Pico-Union hit-and-run at Hoover and London streets, when a turning sedan struck him and fled — a case Hoodline reported was also being handled by Officer Herrera of Central Traffic Division. In December 2025, a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run struck at Venice Boulevard and Malvern Avenue, also in Pico-Union.
Fleeing drivers remain a persistent problem citywide. LAPD Traffic Division data showed 108 people were killed in hit-and-run collisions across Los Angeles in 2023, and 83 hit-and-run fatalities were recorded through October 31, 2024 — an 18.6% increase over the same period the year before, according to Crosstown LA. Traffic violence resulted in 290 total fatalities citywide in 2025, with pedestrian and cyclist deaths accounting for over half, and traffic deaths outnumbering homicides in the city for a third consecutive year, per the Law Offices of Steven M. Sweat.
Reward Fund and Potential Charges
Under a municipal ordinance passed in 2015, the City of Los Angeles offers rewards of up to $25,000 through its Hit-and-Run Reward Program Trust Fund for information leading to the identification, apprehension, and conviction or civil resolution of drivers in severe injury hit-and-run crashes. In November 2025, LAPD requested city approval to accept more than $6.4 million in state grant funds from the California Office of Traffic Safety for its 2025-26 Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, citing an alarming rate of hit-and-run crashes across the city.
Fleeing the scene of a crash that causes injury is a wobbler offense under California Vehicle Code Section 20001, meaning it can be prosecuted as a felony carrying up to four years in state prison and fines between $1,000 and $10,000, according to the Shouse Law Group. Drivers are legally required to stop and render aid regardless of who caused the collision. No suspect description or vehicle information beyond the dark gray color has been released, and the driver's identity remains unknown as LAPD continues to appeal for tips.
