Hit-and-run incidents have been on the rise in Los Angeles, with one of the latest occurring in Pacoima on Feb. 12 which left a man in his 60s in critical condition. His name is being withheld by police at this time.
Around 11:05 p.m., a white pick-up traveling northbound on Laurel Canyon Boulevard from Terra Bella Street struck a pedestrian near the crosswalk, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The driver of the white truck continued northbound on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, driving away from the scene.
The LA Fire Department (LAFD) paramedics responded to the patient and transported him to a hospital in critical condition, police said.
A video of the incident was uploaded to LAPD’s YouTube channel.
A reward of up to $25,000 is available to community members who provide information leading to the offender’s identification, according to LAPD.
This latest incident takes place exactly one year after another hit-and-run in Pacoima, in which a pedestrian was fatally struck by three vehicles while crossing San Fernando Road south of Montague Street.
The number of hit-and-run collisions has been a serious issue in LA for years. Nearly half of all traffic accidents that occur within the county are hit-and-runs.
The number of fatal hit-and-runs has also increased since 2020, according to the city of LA data portal – which was taken from LAPD records. In 2023, there were 108 fatal collisions, almost double the 55 recorded fatalities in 2020.
This is part of an overall rise in the number of fatal traffic collisions. In 2023, there were a reported 336 fatalities in the city of LA – 179 of which were pedestrians – increasing from 312 in 2022 and 294 in 2021.
However, Damian Kevitt, executive director of the nonprofit safety group Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE), suggested that the number of hit-and-runs, and the overall total of traffic collisions, is likely higher than what’s being reported.
He explained that in 2021, the LAPD changed the way they reported traffic incidents. Before, they would respond and report every incident they went to. Now, unless it results in a fatality or serious injury, or there is some criminal connection, they do not respond and will instead tell people to file an online report.
“The result of that is we have a significant decrease in the number of traffic incidents that are being reported, while we have an increase in the number of fatalities, which shows that people are just not reporting things anymore,” Kevitt said. “They’re finding it pointless. … LAPD is not going to respond, they’re not going to investigate, so there’s nothing to report. So we know that the numbers starting in 2021 are very skewed and inaccurate.”
It can be difficult to explain why the number of hit-and-runs has risen, but Kevitt explained that – based on previous data and studies – drivers who were involved in them were usually doing something illegal, including driving without insurance, a license or under the influence.
Distracted driving has also been a factor. A report by the University of California, Berkeley, found that LA County, in 2022, had the highest number of serious injuries caused by distracted driving in the state and tied for first with San Bernardino County in fatalities.
Another factor in LA has been a steep 59% drop in the number of traffic enforcement stops starting in 2020. This was after a 2019 LA Times analysis found that the LAPD Metropolitan Division disproportionately stopped Black drivers at a rate five times higher than their share of the city’s population and the City Council cut down the department’s budget in 2020 in response to the George Floyd protests.
Kevitt acknowledges the systemic racism that was suggested in the analysis, but he said that instead of trying to fix the system, the “baby was thrown out with the bath water” and the drop in enforcement has led to an increase in the number of injuries and fatalities.
“While we need to design the roads to be safer, we also need to make sure that we’re doing equitable, fair traffic enforcement,” Kevitt said. “The number of police officers … doing traffic enforcement is at an all-time low, and it also affects it. … They’re just overworked and understaffed.”
Kevitt will have a meeting with LAPD Chief of Police Jim McDonnell in a couple of weeks to discuss this very issue.
Anyone with information regarding the collision was asked to contact Division Officer Garibay at 213-677-8157. During nonbusiness hours, calls should be directed to 877-527-3247. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.
To file an online LAPD report, go to https://www.lapdonline.org/file-a-police-report/.
Video of the collision can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DohXs2Fhm28. The content of the video is graphic and may be difficult to watch.
The LAPD budget was not cut in 2020 and the budget has actually increased to all time high after consistent increases since 2020. You can confirm this statement with the city budget office and controller’s office.