Detectives were searching Friday for the hit-and- run driver who struck and killed a 52-year-old man on the Pomona (60) Freeway in East Los Angeles, the California Highway Patrol reported.
A report about a body lying face down in the eastbound side of the freeway just west of the Long Beach (710) Freeway was called into the CHP about 7:25 p.m. Thursday, CHP Officer Michele Bond said, adding that the person was confirmed dead at the scene.
He was identified by the coroner’s office as Ignacio Tovar of Los Angeles.
“There were no disabled cars in the area at that time,” CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos said. “It appears the man walked onto the freeway.”
According to a CHP accident report, Tovar walked up and onto the freeway from the Downey Road offramp. He then walked into the number 5 lane where he was struck and killed by the hit-and-run driver. It’s unknown why he chose to walk onto the freeway, according to the CHP.
“The vehicle that hit the man did not stop,” Villalobos said. “So we are looking for the hit-and-run driver.”
Three eastbound lanes and the Downey Road offramp were closed, and a SigAlert was issued as officers investigated the death, Bond said. The freeway was cleared and the SigAlert cancelled at 10:22 p.m. Thursday, Villalobos said.
—Staff and wire reports