PLAYA DEL REY, LOS ANGELES – A suspect is now in custody in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a 1-year-old boy and his uncle in Playa del Rey.
LAPD’s West Traffic Division confirmed to Eyewitness News on Wednesday that officers have taken a suspect into custody, though officials did not immediately provide additional details.
The fatal crash occurred just after 4:30 a.m. on Sunday at Vista Del Mar and Culver Boulevard.
Oscar Sandoval and his family were heading home after spending an enjoyable night at the beach in Playa del Rey.
The family got into their car, but moments after Sandoval began driving, tragedy struck when a hit-and-run driver slammed into his sedan.
Sandoval’s 1-year-old son, Roger, and his 25-year-old brother, Oswaldo, lost their lives in the crash.
Speaking with Eyewitness News on Monday, Sandoval held a small teddy bear onesie—the last item he can touch to feel close to his baby. It was the same outfit he had to remove from his son while desperately trying to save the child’s life on the roadside early Sunday morning.
Sandoval was driving when, according to him and police, a speeding white Jeep SUV crashed into the passenger side of his sedan at Vista Del Mar Avenue and Culver Boulevard in Playa del Rey. Sandoval said the suspect “tried to get me.”
Witnesses said the driver jumped out of the SUV and ran from the scene. One witness recorded the aftermath, and the video appears to show the driver frantically fleeing.
the video appears to show the driver frantically fleeing.
Sandoval said he tried to chase the man, but a broken rib left him struggling to breathe.
He said he returned to the car and saw his child bleeding.
“Then I see my brother, his face, his chest… God, it’s hard,” Sandoval said.
Sandoval said both Roger and Oswaldo died inside the car. His 15-year-old sister suffered serious injuries.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family.
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