A man believed to be in his late 20s was pinned between two vehicles and killed early Sunday in Downtown Los Angeles after a driver deliberately accelerated toward him, according to police. The driver then fled the scene near 6th and Main Streets; police have not released a suspect description.
LAPD officers responded to a felony hit-and-run report at about 4:05 a.m. Sunday at 6th and Main, according to NBC Los Angeles. Investigators say the driver accelerated toward at least one person, striking the man believed to be between 25 and 30 years old and pinning him between the suspect's vehicle and a parked car. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police say they believe the collision was intentional, and the outlet's report notes that LAPD is investigating the case as a vehicular homicide rather than a routine crash. The suspect vehicle was later located in the area of 2nd Street between Alameda and Vignes Streets, but no arrests had been made as of the report, and police have not released a description of the driver.
Why Investigators Are Treating This as Homicide, Not an Accident
California Penal Code 187 addresses murder and malice, according to the Shouse Law Group. Separately, fleeing the scene of a fatal or injury collision is its own felony under California Vehicle Code Section 20001, punishable by up to four years in prison and fines between $1,000 and $10,000, independent of any homicide charge, per Hoodline's prior reporting on a similar case.
The City of Los Angeles also maintains a standing Hit-and-Run Reward Program Trust Fund, which under the Los Angeles Administrative Code offers up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of a driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run, according to LAPD Online.
A Corridor With a Troubling Recent History
The suspect vehicle was located near 2nd Street between Alameda and Vignes Streets. Separately, 33-year-old mental health worker Kenli Black was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver in July while riding to help a client in crisis, as Hoodline previously reported.
The collision occurred early Sunday.
Roadway Deaths Now Outpace Homicides in LA
The case lands amid a sobering statistical shift in Los Angeles: traffic collisions in the city killed 290 people in 2025, including more than 150 fatal collisions involving pedestrians, marking the third consecutive year that traffic deaths have exceeded physical homicides citywide, according to LAist. That divergence stands out because citywide homicides actually dropped 14% in 2024 compared to 2023, continuing a multi-year decline in violent crime, per the Los Angeles Police Department.
Meanwhile, LAPD Central Traffic Division's deployed officer staffing has fallen from roughly 40 officers before 2020 to about 20 in 2026, alongside a 63% citywide decline in moving violation citations since 2019, according to L.A. Reported. That same division covers 1,139 miles of city roadways out of its Skid Row facility.
No arrests have been made in Sunday's killing, and police have not released a description of the driver. The suspect vehicle has been located. The victim's identity has not been confirmed.
