Authorities say Jesus Cazares, 38, of Inglewood called and advised police that he wanted to turn himself in Sunday. The call came after the suspect had been identified by police with help from tips from the public.
An arrest location was coordinated and the suspect was taken into custody without incident around 3 p.m.
The vehicle used in the fatal hit-and-run was also located near Arbor Vitae and Oak streets prior to the arrest.
Elisa Alvarez, 47, of Santa Monica was fatally struck on the 300 block of South Oak Street just after 10 p.m. Saturday.
Police say Alvarez was leaving a family birthday party when she was struck and killed by a speeding truck. The incident occurred just as she had finished placing her infant cousin into a car seat.
Alvarez was thrown 30 feet and rushed to Centinela Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The infant was unharmed.
Witnesses including many of the victim's own family members say Cazares never even slowed down.
"You crash, you stop. You don't just speed. You don't take off. He knew what was going on," said Crystyan Fernandez, the victim's son.
Friends say Alvarez often took care of the neighborhood and other family members' children. She worked cleaning houses, and family members say she was always the life of the party.
"She was fun. She was really outgoing. She was too funny. She always wanted to help people out," said Fernandez.
Cazares was booked for felony hit-and-run charges at the Inglewood Police Department Jail. He is being held on $50,000 bail.
Additional charges may be added pending further investigation.
