Authorities are offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information on a hit-and-run driver involved in a crash that killed a 4-year-old girl in Harbor City late last week, officials announced Monday.
The child was with her brother and father in their truck around 8:20 p.m. Friday when another vehicle made a U-turn in front of them on Vermont Avenue at Pacific Coast Highway, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
It forced the family’s truck to veer into oncoming traffic, running off the roadway and slamming into several trees and a light post.
The driver of the other vehicle kept going, not stopping to render aid to the family, police said.
Paramedics rushed the driver and two children to a local hospital, where the girl later died.
Her father and brother were listed in critical condition.
Family members identified the girl as Jayda Sanchez.
“Whoever did this, just come clean. Just turn yourself in,” the child’s mother Adriana Rodriguez said. “You took a poor, innocent baby.”
The suspect’s vehicle was described as possibly being a white, four-door car.
Video from the scene of the crash showed a truck flipped on its side, with its roof crushed. A pink plush toy could be seen on the ground near the truck, along with glass and debris that covered the roadway.
Detectives on Monday asked for the public’s help identifying the driver. The reward of up to $50,000 is available to community members who provide information leading to the driver’s identification, arrest and conviction.
Anyone with information is asked to contact LAPD Detective Daniel Ramirez or Officer Andrew Guzman at 323-421-2500. Those who wish to submit an anonymous tip can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
