Jul 15, 2008 5:22 am US/Pacific
Suspect Held On $1M Bail For Hitting Pedestrians
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.
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The accident took place on Sunday night.
CBS
Authorities are withholding the names of a man and a woman that were fatally struck during a police pursuit of an alleged reckless driver on Hollywood Boulevard on Sunday night.
Both victims have been identified, though their names were being withheld pending notification of next of kin, Lt. John Kadas of the coroner's office said.
The two victims, both Latinos, died at the scene of the accident at 6440 W. Hollywood Blvd., about two blocks west Vine Street, around 9 p.m. Sunday, according to a Los Angeles Police Department statement.
According to witnesses, the victims were holding hands and walking in a crosswalk when a vehicle stopped for a red light before suddenly lurchung forward and striking them.
The pursuit began when an officer from the LAPD's West Traffic Division spotted the driver of a 2005 Honda Civic travelling on the wrong side of the road on Highland Avenue near Camrose Avenue, police said.
The driver of the car, 29-year-old Sergio Delgado, continued driving erratically -- making unsafe lane changes, speeding, and dangerously passing other vehicles, according to police.
Delgado briefly stopped to allow a passenger to exit the vehicle, but then continued speeding southbound on Highland Avenue into oncoming traffic and through red lights, police said.
As the chase continued onto eastbound Hollywood Boulevard, the officer called for a backup unit and department police air unit to assist in the pursuit, according to the statement.
Delgado started to pull away, which created a two-block distance between his vehicle and police. On reaching Wilcox Avenue, the suspect struck the two pedestrians who were walking northbound in the crosswalk, police said.
Delgado then fled eastbound on Hollywood Boulevard, and as he neared Cahuenga Boulevard, stopped his car and tried to flee on foot, according to police.
Two witnesses stopped the escape by holding Delgado down until police arrived and took him into custody. Witnesses said he appeared to be intoxicated.
Delgado was booked on suspicion of murder and was being in lieu of $1 million bail, according to Officer Ana Aguirre of the LAPD's Media Relations Section.
The passenger that exited Delgado's vehicle during the chase has not been identified, and detectives were asking for the public's help in identifying and tracking down the man in order to interview him, police said.
Anyone with information on the passenger's identity is asked to call detectives at (213) 473-0234, or the toll-free tip line at 1-877-LAWFULL during off hours and weekends.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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