Family of 42-year-old man fatally struck by 3 hit-and-run drivers in Pacoima speaks out
PACOIMA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A heartbroken family is speaking out after a 42-year-old man was struck by multiple cars and killed trying to cross a street in Pacoima.
Francisco Garcia was killed in a horrific hit-and-run crash on Jan. 12.
"I don't even know how they can sleep knowing that that happened to a human. He has family," said his sister, Norma Garcia.
The deadly incident was caught on surveillance video and shows Garcia starting to walk across San Fernando Road around 11:45 p.m. Moments later, he is hit by a light-colored pickup truck. As he attempts to get up, he is struck again by an SUV and is knocked to the ground. That's when a third vehicle ran over him.
None of those drivers stopped.
Relatives say Garcia, known to loved ones as "Paco," struggled with substance abuse and spent the last seven years living on the streets.
"Everybody knew him and everybody knew his situation, but he was never trying to... hurt anyone... He was to himself and he was just happy," his sister said.
Garcia was close to his family. He refused their offers of shelter but would sometimes walk past or stop at the home of a cousin who lives in the neighborhood.
"He passed by for Christmas and he saw everybody. We had a bonfire... He said hi to everybody. Every time he sees somebody he's that person that gives you a hug," said Jessica Madrigal.
Garcia's sister has started a GoFundMe account to pay his funeral expenses. But the family also wants justice.
"If you know that you're at fault, just come forward because eventually the law is probably going to come down on you," said Daniel Mariscal, his nephew.
Anybody with information is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.
