Whittier woman in custody as suspect in South Pasadena hit-and-run

SOUTH PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- A Whittier woman is in custody as the suspected hit-and-run driver who struck and injured a family of three in South Pasadena.

Tiffani Lowden, 38, is in custody at the Pasadena Jail and is facing three counts of felony hit-and-run. Her bail is set at $50,000.

At an 11:30 a.m. press conference, South Pasadena Police Chief Art Miller said an anonymous person provided information that led them to Lowden.

When detectives were closing in on her, she chose to turn herself in. Her car, a Nissan SUV, was found abandoned in West L.A. and shows tell-tale signs of damage, according to investigators.

"It coincides with the account that each one of the victims had as they were thrown onto the hood and into the street," Miller said.

The hit-and-run crash occurred at the intersection of Orange Grove Boulevard and Columbia Street at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday. The Hollon family, along with their dog, entered the crosswalk when they were hit by an SUV.

The couple's 7-year-old dog, Babel, was killed and the driver immediately fled the scene.

"We had taken about three steps and all of a sudden we saw the person turn in towards us, so right away I put my hands up and I was like 'Stop, stop stop,' and it was just a few seconds, and there was no time to jump or get out of the way," Bryan Hollon said.

Hollon was treated at the scene for minor injuries. His 30-year-old wife, Alexandra Hollon, and their 4-month-old daughter, Harper, were transported to a nearby hospital and treated for injuries. The infant suffered three skull fractures, but both she and her mother are expected to recover.

When news of Lowen's arrest made it to the Hollon household, Bryan Hollon said he was shocked because so many of the hit-and-run cases he has heard about are left unresolved.

The couple said they have mixed feelings about Lowden. They are glad that she came forward but confused about why she fled in the first place, especially when she paused at the intersection as if waiting for the family to cross.

"We were just left there on the pavement bleeding, you know, and she drove away from that," Bryan Hollon said.

According to Miller, Lowden has no prior criminal record.