Teen riding scooter killed in North Long Beach hit-and-run crash, police say
Police say the driver who struck the teen was arrested after crashing into a building in Compton, running away, then returning to the scene.
A 17-year-old boy died Sunday morning when the driver of a vehicle struck him in North Long Beach and then drove away, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Police say the teenager was riding a scooter north of South Street, near Orange Avenue, sometime around 12:40 a.m. when the driver of a 2012 Cadillac SRX traveling northbound on Orange Avenue hit him and drove away.
Authorities responded to the scene and took the boy to a local hospital where he died, police said. His identity was not immediately released while the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s office works to notify his relatives.
The suspect, meanwhile, continued driving northbound after the hit and run, eventually crashing into an apartment building in the 6100 block of Orange Avenue, police said.
Though the driver fled the scene on foot after the second crash, she was later taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence, hit and run resulting in death or injury, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and assault with a deadly weapon with force, when they returned to the scene, police said.
The driver was identified as Karen Mativa, 35, of Compton, according to police. Her bail was set at $130,000, police added.
No injuries were reported during the second crash, according to authorities. At this time, detectives believe speeding and impaired driving were factors in the crashes, police said.
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