CHP searching for hit-and-run driver in 60 Freeway fatality

EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Police are searching for a driver who struck and killed a pedestrian on the 60 Freeway in East Los Angeles and fled without stopping.

The victim had apparently walked on to the fifth lane of the eastbound Pomona Freeway Thursday around 7 p.m. near the Downey Road offramp, where he was struck by a vehicle traveling at an unknown speed, according to the California Highway Patrol. The driver left the scene without helping the victim.

The victim was later identified by the coroner's office as Ignacio Tovar, 52, of Los Angeles.

"There were no disabled cars in the area at that time," CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos said. "It appears the man walked onto the freeway."

Three eastbound lanes and the Downey Road offramp were closed while officers investigated and were reopened by 10:22 p.m.

City News Service contributed to this report.