South LA hit-and-run injury crash caught on camera

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 71-year-old man was injured by a hit-and-run driver at a gas station in South Los Angeles. The incident was caught on camera.

A red pickup truck pulled into a gas station on the 200 block of West Slauson Avenue around noon on June 28. The victim, 71-year-old Fernando Valdivia from South Gate, was standing near a gas pump. He crumpled to the ground when the truck struck him.

The driver at first gets out, and looks at the victim as others approach to try to render aid, but then the driver gets back in the truck and drives away without identifying himself.

Valdivia was severely injured and was hospitalized for emergency medical treatment.

People in the South L.A. neighborhood say it seems hit-and-runs are becoming increasingly common.

Witnesses described the driver as a Hispanic man with black hair, between 30 and 40 years old, standing 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 170 pounds.

His truck was described as a red, 2000-2005 Chevy Silverado with an extended cab.

Investigators hope someone recognizes the suspect or the car.

"We have a very good description of the vehicle. If anything, it would have some maybe damage to the left side of the pickup truck," said LAPD Officer Nuria Vanegas.

Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call police at (877) LAPD-24-7.