A 29-year-old man was charged Friday with murder and other counts stemming from a hit-and-run crash that left a woman dead in North Hills.
Abraham Espinoza Velasco is set to be arraigned Tuesday in a San Fernando courtroom on one felony count each of murder, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, hit-and-run driving resulting in death or serious injury to another person and driving or taking a vehicle without consent.
The criminal complaint includes allegations that the defendant has a string of convictions dating back to 2016 that include unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle and evading a police officer.
Los Angeles police said the collision occurred about 5:20 a.m. Tuesday when the driver of a black 2016 Range Rover speeding northbound on Hayvenhurst Avenue ran a red light and crashed into a 2018 Toyota Camry eastbound on Nordhoff Street.
The Range Rover then crashed into a gray Honda Civic and a white Toyota Tacoma in the intersection before coming to a stop in the middle of the street.
The 56-year-old woman driving the Honda was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, police said. Authorities have not released her name pending notification of her next of kin.
The driver of the Camry was treated at the scene for complaints of pain, while the driver of the Tacoma was not injured.
Two men got out of the Range Rover and fled before police and fire department personnel arrived, according to police.
Espinoza Velasco was arrested Wednesday by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Traffic Division, and has remained behind bars in lieu of $2 million bail since then.
