Speeding truck kills woman in South LA, flees scene, LAPD says

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A speeding truck hit and killed a woman in South Los Angeles then fled the scene Wednesday morning, according to Los Angeles police.

Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department's Traffic Division said the crash happened the intersection of Western Avenue and 79th Street at about 5:30 a.m.

Authorities said surveillance video showed the woman walk into the path of a pickup truck. The vehicle slammed into her and dragged hear half a block.

Police said the video showed that the driver not only stopped, but got out of the truck to look at the woman in the street, got back in the truck, backed up and then drove off.

"Witnesses reported that he reversed his path of travel back to the intersection, 79th and Western, and then fled the area southbound Western Avenue," Sgt. Tiffany Maston with the LAPD explained. "With the amount of damage and the debris spread we have, we're still trying to figure out the exact number, but speed is a factor in this collision."

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses described the vehicle as a black Chevy Avalanche with gray trim and officials said it turned east onto 80th Street.

Authorities were still trying to identify the woman who was struck and killed, but said she appeared to be in her 50s or 60s.

The street where the woman was crossing had a traffic light, and, according to police, the woman may have been crossing against the light.

"Had this driver stopped, there may not have been any repercussions," Maston said.

Anyone with information that could aid detectives in their investigation was urged to call the Los Angeles Police Department's South Traffic Division at (323) 421-2500.