Suspect arrested for DUI, hit-and-run death of skateboarding woman in Playa del Rey

PLAYA DEL REY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A suspect has been arrested in the DUI hit-and-run death of a 48-year-old woman who was skateboarding in Playa del Rey early Thursday morning, police said.

The woman, identified as Patricia Ann O'Donnell, 48, was seen on surveillance video getting out of a truck and getting on her skateboard in the area of Pershing Drive and Campdell Street just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

She was skating in a business parking lot and then rode into the street, where a car heading north on Pershing slammed into her, police say. The car did not stop.

Investigators say they were able to later track down a suspect, identified as Patrick Finkelstein, 45, of Santa Monica.

He was arrested and booked for vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence. He was being held on $100,000 bail.

Neighbors and residents say they are shocked by the incident.

"He didn't have to leave," said Hayward Brown, who owns a business in the area. "He should've stopped and rendered aid, tried to help her out."

The Los Angeles Police Department says the city has seen a sharp increase in hit-and-runs, with 23,000 last year. In Playa del Rey, there were 46 hit-and-runs, two of them involving pedestrians.