Authorities Wednesday identified a motorist being sought in the hit-and-run death of a 16-year-old bicyclist who was killed in a collision apparently sparked by a road rage incident in South Los Angeles.
The California Highway Patrol identified the motorist as Jonathan Antonio Rodriguez, 28, or Los Angeles.
Jonathan Flores was killed in the collision that occurred around 4:35 p.m. Friday in a parking lot of BMO Stadium, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner and the CHP.
“The incident began … when the Exposition Park Department of Public Safety received a report of a hit-and-run crash in an outdoor parking lot,” CHP Sgt. Daniel Keene said in a statement. “Officers responded and determined that an altercation had occurred on Figueroa Street, north of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, involving bicyclists and a blue BMW sedan.”
As the victim entered the parking lot on his bike, he was struck by a black Honda sedan, Keene said.
“Tragically, the victim, a 16-year-old male, was pronounced deceased at the scene,” he said.
“On the evening of November 23 … CHP detectives executed a search warrant at a residence in Los Angeles associated with the suspect. Investigators seized a blue 2021 BMW sedan and a black 2018 Honda Accord. Evidence identified Jonathan Antonio Rodriguez, 28, of Los Angeles, as the driver of the Honda Accord that fatally struck the victim.”
A warrant was issued for Rodriguez’s arrest, with bail set at $2 million, Keene said. He is being sought on suspicion of murder, hit-and-run and use of a deadly weapon.
“The CHP continues to investigate, and urges Jonathan Rodriguez to surrender to authorities,” Keene’s statement said.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to contact CHP detectives at 323-644-9550, or the CHP’S Los Angeles Communication Center at 323- 259-3200.