Police are searching for a driver allegedly connected to a series of Los Angeles robberies after a horrific hit-and-run left a 16-year-old boy dead and critically injured his younger sister.
The Los Angeles Police Department on Thursday identified the suspect as Raygine Glentasia Evans. Authorities say Evans has received nine citations for reckless driving and failing to stop at signs and is wanted in connection with 10 robberies throughout Los Angeles.
Investigators allege Evans sped through a stop sign before striking 16-year-old Hernan Martinez and his 13-year-old sister, Vicky, as they crossed a South Los Angeles roadway with their mother on Sept. 22.
The crash happened at about 9:30 p.m. near 10th Avenue and 60th Street in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
The impact sent Hernan onto the windshield of the blue Nissan Sentra, which continued down the street before colliding with several parked cars, KTLA reported.
Hernan was pronounced dead at the scene. Vicky was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Surveillance video added another disturbing element to the case, showing two women escaping from the wrecked sedan shortly after the crash.
Police identified the passenger as Joannae Shavon Rosby. Footage showed the two women running from the scene before being picked up by another vehicle.
Neighbor Jerome Alexander told ABC7 that he ran outside after hearing what sounded like a powerful explosion and encountered a devastating scene.
“We heard a loud bang. Honestly, it was so loud it sounded like someone hit a building or a car,” Alexander said.
Alexander said he found Vicky partly trapped beneath a parked vehicle. She appeared unconscious at first, but her mother’s words seemed to bring her around.
“The daughter was partially under our car. At first, she wasn’t conscious and then her mom started talking to her and her eyes popped open,” he recalled.
He also saw Hernan lying on top of the suspect’s vehicle before the teenager fell from it.
CONTINUE READING: Australian Tourists in France Accuse Police of Targeting Them Without Explanation
Alexander described another unsettling moment, saying a man returned to the damaged Nissan and appeared to remove a baby from the back seat.
“A guy came back, opened the back door, moved the airbags out the way, a lot of smoke coming out the car and he grabbed the baby out the backseat and left with the baby,” Alexander said.
According to Alexander, the man showed little apparent concern when confronted about the teenager who had been struck.
“I said stop touching the car, they just killed somebody’s kid, and he said, ‘I don’t care about that,’” Alexander recalled.
The crash has left the Martinez family devastated as they mourn Hernan and wait for news about Vicky.
Hernan’s older brother, Eliseo Martinez, said their mother was able to pull Vicky out of the path of the speeding vehicle but could not save her son.
“My mom, me and my sister are trying to pull it all together for one another,” he told KTLA.
Vicky has since undergone surgery and faces a grueling recovery.
Her brother remembered Hernan as a sweet, talented teenager who loved baking and sewing and had his entire future ahead of him.
Around 200 grieving relatives, friends and neighbors gathered for a rosary to honor the slain teen, while community volunteers painted a crosswalk at the deadly intersection and demanded stronger pedestrian protections.
The family has also launched a GoFundMe to help cover expenses following the devastating loss, raising more than $18,000 toward a $22,000 goal.
“He was only 16 years old and had so much life ahead of him,” Eliseo wrote. “Losing him so unexpectedly has left a pain in our family that is difficult to put into words.”
As the family mourns, police are still searching for Evans.
The LAPD announced Thursday that a reward of up to $50,000 is available for information leading to her arrest.
Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD South Traffic Division Officer Hurd at 213-321-9681 or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.