This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.
A 41-year-old man pleaded no contest Tuesday to running over a 101-year-old pedestrian in a marked crosswalk and leaving him to die in the street in Boyle Heights.
Ricardo Avalos was charged with one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter in the 2014 crash, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
He was immediately sentenced to three years in state prison, a release from the D.A.’s office stated.
Avalos was driving a 1997 Chevrolet Astro van around 6 a.m. on Oct. 1, 2014, when he struck and killed 101-year-old Jose Noriega as he was crossing South Lorena Street in a marked crosswalk, the release stated.
Avalos tried to drive away, but witnesses blocked his path and detained him until police arrived.
The elderly pedestrian was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Noriega was a fixture in the Boyle Heights community, where he was known for his years of volunteer work at Resurrection Catholic Church.
At the time of his death, Noriega left behind a wife and four children.
More Video:
