On the eve of Thanksgiving, Frank Padilla was crossing the intersection at Terra Bella Street and Dorrington Avenue in Arleta when tragedy struck: a speeding white Dodge Charger crashed into the Panorama City resident. The driver didn’t stop and fled the scene, disappearing into the night.
Padilla, described by loved ones as “a kind and gentle person,” was pronounced dead at the site of the Nov. 27 crash. He was 57 years old.
Jaime Padilla of Hermosa Beach said his older brother worked as a handyman and lived a simple life, noting that he was a quiet person who often kept to himself.
“Frank was a bit introverted and shy, [but] he was always a totally nice guy. Anybody that knew him had good things to say about him,” he told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol.
The week of Dec. 15 Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) investigators informed the Padilla family that they had found the vehicle they believe was involved in the crash. They also identified a person of interest in the case – a lawyer contacted police on behalf of the suspected hit-and-run driver – but to date no arrest has been made.
“He must have found out that the police were looking for him so he went to a lawyer first,” said Jaime Padilla. “I believe that he’s either planning on denying everything or he wants to come up with a defense first before the police actually charge him with anything.”
For now, the deadly collision remains under investigation as a hit-and-run incident – one of several hit-and-runs that have been reported in recent weeks across the San Fernando Valley.
Local Hit and Runs
Earlier this week the LAPD released video footage of two other local hit-and-run crashes. The most recent one happened on Dec. 11 at approximately 9:15 p.m., when a 22-year-old man was seriously injured in a crosswalk at the intersection of Sayre Street and Foothill Boulevard in Sylmar.
The suspect was reported to have been driving a gray or dark sedan northbound on Sayre Street and then turned left onto Foothill Boulevard, where he struck the pedestrian and then immediately fled the crash site.
In yet another incident, at about 5:15 p.m. on Dec. 6, Markus Caldwell, 41, was struck and killed as he was crossing De Soto Avenue near Gresham Street in Canoga Park. The suspect, who was driving southbound in a silver or gray vehicle, failed to stop, according to police.
Caldwell, who was hit in the southbound right lane as he almost finished crossing the street, died at the scene.
“There was a lot of traffic in the area of De Soto Avenue and Gresham Street at the time of the collision,” the LAPD said in a statement. “Drivers are reminded that if they become involved in a collision, they should pull over and stop as soon as it is safe to do so, notify emergency services, and remain at the scene to identify themselves.”
Streets Are For Everyone
Although the reasons why an individual involved in a hit-and-run collision chooses to flee the scene of the crime can vary, “Generally speaking, the data points to the fact that people were doing something illegal [when it happened] – and they knew it,” said Damian Kevitt, executive director of Streets Are For Everyone, a nonprofit that seeks to reduce traffic-related fatalities.
“They [run] because they don’t want to be caught, [because] they were already drunk, they were on drugs, they were texting at the time, they didn’t have insurance [or] they didn’t have a license,” he explained. In a much smaller percentage of cases, a person might flee because they “simply freaked out … and had a flight reaction” to the unexpected situation, added Kevitt.
“They weren’t doing something criminal,” he said, “[but] the problem is, as soon as they run, they are now a criminal.”
Padilla’s Family Seeks Justice
Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Frank Padilla was the second of seven siblings. Jaime Padilla said the family is hoping for justice in their brother’s violent and untimely death.
When the Nov. 27 crash happened at around 9:20 p.m., Jaime Padilla said witnesses reported that the driver was “going so fast when he hit my brother” that his body ended up about “250 feet” from the location of impact.
“Apparently [the driver] maybe slowed down, but he didn’t stop to check if my brother was okay or anything like that – he just kept on driving,” he said, adding that they were also informed that the suspect reportedly “dumped the vehicle” in a nearby parking lot shortly after the collision.
“After that, I think he went into hiding,” said Jaime Padilla. Now that the lawyer of the suspected driver is communicating with police, the family is anxiously waiting to see what happens next.
“This perpetrator has already killed someone and didn’t even try to help. Now, he’s trying to escape responsibility by going to a lawyer and denying his crime,” said Jaime Padilla. While he acknowledges that nothing can change what happened, he wants the driver to pay for his crime and the consequences of his actions.
“Not only has he caused us emotional trauma,” he continued, “I believe that he’s a danger to society and needs to be held responsible.”
The Public’s Help Is Needed
Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying the hit-and-run suspects or other information about the recent crashes.
The city of LA offers a standing reward of up to $25,000 for information that helps solve non-fatal hit-and-run cases, and $50,000 for information about fatal hit-and-run incidents.
For the Go Fund Me page generated by Frank Padilla’s family, go to: www.gofundme.com/f/remembering-frank-padilla-with-kindness.
Anyone with information about the Canoga Park incident, is asked to call: (818) 644-8022 or (818) 644-8033. To report any leads about the Sylmar crash, call: (818) 644-8036. And anyone with information about the Arleta case can call: (818) 644-8116 or (818) 644-8020.
To provide anonymous tips, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or go to: www.lacrimestoppers.org.