South LA Residents March For Safer Streets After Hit-And-Run

SOUTH LOS ANGELES -- Residents of South Los Angeles, along with community activists, marched for safer streets on Sunday, along the road where a 15 year-old boy riding his bike in a marked crosswalk was hit by a car and dragged 1,500 feet.

The teen, Roberto Diaz, survived but was critically injured. The hit-and-run driver is still being sought.

The march was sponsored by the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) and a non-profit called Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE). It was held at 4:30 p.m. at Maple Avenue and 37th Street.

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, the driver of a car that's believed to be a dark blue Honda Civic or Accord, blew through a stop sign and dragged the boy to Martin Luther King Boulevard, where he became dislodged from the car. Witnesses stopped the driver, who briefly remained at the scene but then fled, according to police.

``How is it that you did not have a heart, that you dragged him ... to here and left him there to die,'' Diaz's mother, through an interpreter, told reporters the following morning.

A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the hit-and-run driver. The vehicle has tinted windows and extensive front-end damage. A detailed description of the suspect is not available.

The LAPD says any information about the driver or the car can be anonymously reported by calling (800) 822-8477.

City News Service contributed to this report.