17-year-old killed in hit-and-run after dispute at parking lot party in South LA, family members say

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 17-year-old was killed in a hit-and-run crash following a dispute at a party in South Los Angeles, family members confirmed to Eyewitness News. Police are now searching for at least one suspect.

According to Detective Jerry Gibson with the Los Angeles Police Department, the incident happened around 2:30 a.m. Sunday at a warehouse parking lot on 62nd Street between Avalon Boulevard and Central Avenue.

Gibson said a dispute occurred between a group of partygoers and somebody in a vehicle.

The argument then spilled onto the street.

That's when the driver drove toward the crowd, running over Matthew Lobos and killing him. The driver reportedly bailed out of a white Acura and jumped into a second vehicle - possibly an SUV - and struck Lobos again.

Lobos' body was reportedly left lying in the street. Police said close to 100 people gathered for the illegal party.

Too emotional to speak on camera, the teenager's parents said he was a senior at Santee High School and was full of life.

"How could they live with that? It's like senseless. It doesn't make my sense ... I have two boys," said the teen's aunt Nena Garza.

Detectives hope surveillance cameras in the area will lead help lead to an arrest.

"I'm still trying to process that he's gone," said Lobos' cousin, Daniel Garza. "I'm still in denial. I can't think it through it all."

Described as wise beyond his years, family members said Lobos was not a gang member, but detectives are investigating if the suspects may be.

"He was a good kid," said Lobos' cousin, Irvin Espinosa Hernandez. "He had no involvement with nothing. The kid was making his dream come true. Everything he was doing, he was not a young ordinary kid."

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been created to help the family. You can learn more here.