Torrance hit-and-run driver kills man changing tire on 405 Freeway, CHP says

TORRANCE, Calif. (KABC) -- A man who pulled over to change a tire was killed by a hit-and-run driver on the 405 Freeway in Torrance late Monday evening, authorities said.

California Highway Patrol said 45-year-old Thomas Brent Blush of Huntington Beach was changing a tire on his Toyota Tacoma pickup truck on the southbound 405 Freeway between Artesia and Crenshaw boulevards at about 9:45 p.m. when he was fatally struck by a vehicle.

The suspect, who one witness said appeared to be in a compact vehicle such as a Mini Cooper or Acura, kept driving and left Blush at the scene, according to CHP.

"Turn yourself in. It was a traffic collision. Let us investigate what happened and then we can go from there. But just turn yourself in. That's the best thing to do right now," Simeon Yarbrough with the California Highway Patrol said.

Investigators were following up on leads, including a license plate that was found at the scene.

Anyone with information that could aid detectives in their investigation was urged to call the California Highway Patrol's Torrance station at (310) 516-3355.