Early in the morning on Sunday, December 6th, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a motorist in the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and Ivar. When LAPD officers arrived on the scene, they found a man in his mid-20s in the road who was pronounced dead at the scene.
In an attempt to track down the missing motorist, investigators plan to examine surveillance footage from the surrounding businesses. There do not appear to be any witnesses, nor was any vehicle description made available.
Hit-and-runs involving death or injury are covered under California Vehicle Code 20001 VC. Anyone who leaves the scene of an accident without identifying him or herself to other people involved, or to the police, can be charged with a hit-and-run under 20001 VC. Hit-and-runs can be misdemeanors or felonies, depending on the circumstances of the collision.
For example, if only property is damaged in the collision and no people are injured, it’s likely that the charge will be a misdemeanor. The penalties for misdemeanor hit-and-runs include a fine between $1,000 and $10,000 and/or up to 1-year in county jail. If the crime is charged as a felony, the punishment includes a fine of between $1,000 and $10,000, and 16-months to 3-years in California state prison. When someone is permanently injured or killed during a hit-and-run collision, the penalty increases to a prison sentence of 2 to 4-years.
