A 32-year-old man died after being struck by a car while crossing Hollywood Boulevard in a marked crosswalk at Cherokee Avenue just before 11 p.m. Sunday, and police arrested the driver, a 32-year-old woman, on suspicion of driving under the influence. The pedestrian died at the scene, in the heart of the Walk of Fame, as paramedics worked to save him.
According to Los Angeles Daily News, the driver was heading west on Hollywood Boulevard when she struck the man as he crossed near Cherokee Avenue. Los Angeles police said the suspected drunk driver allegedly struck and killed the pedestrian, and LAPD spokesperson Norma Eisenman said officers arrested the 32-year-old woman on suspicion of DUI. The medical examiner's office had not publicly identified the victim as of the report. On-scene video captured by MyNewsLA.com showed paramedics attempting CPR on the man before covering his body with a sheet and erecting a white canopy, while a heavily damaged white vehicle sat parked nearby in the roadway.
A Known Danger Zone on the Walk of Fame
The stretch of Hollywood Boulevard between Gower Street and Fountain Avenue, including the Cherokee Avenue intersection, falls within LADOT's High-Injury Network, a designation covering just 6% of Los Angeles streets that nonetheless accounts for 70% of the city's severe and fatal pedestrian injuries, per the same agency's Livable Streets program. City Council District 13 records for the Access to Hollywood streetscape plan describe the 1.3-mile Walk of Fame corridor, which includes Cherokee Avenue, as suffering from congested sidewalks, outdated infrastructure, and inadequate safety design despite drawing millions of tourists annually.
That mismatch between foot traffic and street design isn't new to city planners. LADOT and City Council Districts 13 and 4 launched the two-mile Hollywood Boulevard Safety and Mobility Project in 2024, installing protected bike lanes, left-turn calming treatments, and updated crosswalks after the corridor recorded 53 severe or fatal collisions between 2010 and 2019, according to Urbanize LA.
Citywide Traffic Deaths Keep Climbing
Sunday's crash adds to a grim pattern across Los Angeles. Traffic collisions killed 290 people citywide in 2025, with more than 150 of those deaths involving pedestrians, continuing a trend in which traffic fatalities outpace homicides, as reported by LAist. That 2025 toll arrived in the very year Los Angeles's Vision Zero initiative had originally targeted for eliminating traffic deaths entirely. LAPD traffic data through late August 2026 showed fatal collisions citywide were up 8% compared with the same period in 2025, the outlet also reported.
Statewide figures add further context to pedestrian safety. Los Angeles County led all California counties in pedestrian deaths in 2023 with 273 fatalities, according to UC Berkeley's SafeTREC research center. Meanwhile, citywide traffic stops by LAPD officers fell 57% between 2019 and 2025, even as annual pedestrian fatalities jumped roughly 54% between 2016 and 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported, a gap city officials have sought to close with automated speed cameras.
What Charges Could Follow
The crash raises questions about drivers' responsibilities at crosswalks. No charges had been filed as of the Daily News report.
