Suspect arrested in South LA hit-and-run that killed foster mom who was dropping off toys at shelter
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A suspect has been arrested in connection with a Christmas Eve hit-and-run crash in South Los Angeles that claimed the life of a foster mother who was dropping off toys at a shelter, authorities said Thursday.
Carlos Mayor, 55, was taken into custody on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter after a warrant was issued, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said. Mayor is an L.A. resident who lives near the crash site, the LAPD said.
Details of where and when Mayor was arrested were not immediately available.
An emotional memorial was held Dec. 29 in honor of the victim, 62-year-old Trina Newman Townsend.
Dozens of candles illuminated a makeshift memorial on a sidewalk as devastated family members, friends and residents remembered the beloved community activist and pastor.
"The community is here honoring my sister, somebody you didn't even know," Dwayne Newman told the assembled mourners. He described her as "somebody that was doing something in the community that you never knew, until her death"
The mother and grandmother was raising two biological children and six foster children.
"My mother was a phenomenal woman," Callie Harvey said. "Love is a verb -- people forget that. She showed you that she loved you."
The crash happened at 88th Street and South Broadway. Newman-Townsend was walking back to her car when she was hit by what police say was a blue mid-size sedan. The driver never stopped, investigators said.
At last week's vigil, family members urged the driver to come forward.
"Somebody who means so much to the community didn't deserve to go out this way," said Brittani Newman, Newman-Townsend's niece. "We as a family deserve peace in our hearts. So we ask that you please, please, please surrender yourself."
