A pedestrian was struck and killed in San Pedro shortly after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday when a driver sped away from the scene instead of stopping, leaving investigators searching for a vehicle that may have been towing a white trailer. The crash happened near North Gaffey Street and West Channel Street, close to the 110 Freeway, and the victim died at the scene.
Officers responded to North Gaffey Street and West Channel Street just after 1:30 a.m. regarding a crash involving a pedestrian, according to KTLA. LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes told City News Service the crash occurred at 1:31 a.m. at West Channel and Gaffey streets, and that the driver continued southbound on Gaffey Street without stopping at the scene as required by law, according to MyNewsLA.com.
The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, Cervantes said. As of Wednesday, the victim's name and age were not immediately available, and police did not release a description of the vehicle involved.
Driver Fled Southbound, Possibly Towing Trailer
The driver fled following the crash, which is being investigated as a hit-and-run, the station's report notes. Investigators believed the vehicle involved was towing a white trailer, though police did not provide a suspect description, per the same account.
Police were searching for the driver and vehicle Wednesday morning.
A Separate San Pedro Hit-and-Run in August
This is not the first fatal hit-and-run to strike San Pedro in recent months. In August, a man in his 50s was struck and killed by an alleged hit-and-run driver while riding a scooter, according to CBS News Los Angeles. That crash happened near Colden Avenue and San Pedro Street at about 5:20 a.m., after officers were called to reports of a person down next to a scooter.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later identified that victim as 53-year-old Antonio Galvan-Solorio. The LAPD's South Traffic Division investigated that incident as a hit-and-run as well, and did not immediately have information available on the suspect or the vehicle involved. That case is separate from Wednesday's crash near Gaffey and Channel streets and should not be confused with it.
Part of a Larger Pattern on LA Streets
Wednesday's death adds to a grim tally across the city. Traffic collisions in Los Angeles killed 290 people in 2025, and more than 150 of those fatal collisions involved pedestrians, according to LAPD data cited by LAist. That figure actually reflected a 6% decrease in traffic fatalities compared with 2024.
The city has invested nearly $350 million in its Vision Zero traffic-safety program since it launched in 2015, LAist reports. Still, an audit released in April 2025 found that a lack of cohesion across departments, an unbalanced approach, and insufficient political will had ultimately hampered the program's progress.
