A man and his 3-year-old daughter were killed when a pickup truck crashed into an apartment building in Long Beach, and police Wednesday, March 2 were seeking the motorist who ran from the scene.
The crash occurred at about 10 p.m. Tuesday in the 6600 block of Rose Avenue, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Jose Palacios Gonzalez, 42, died at the scene, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office reported. His daughter died at a hospital, police said. Her name was not immediately available for release.
“The preliminary investigation revealed a 2014 Dodge Ram was traveling northbound on Rose Avenue at a high rate of speed. The vehicle left the roadway and collided with an apartment building, killing two of the occupants inside. The driver of the vehicle then fled the scene on foot,” police said.
“Officers and good Samaritans rendered aid to the victims until the Long Beach Fire Department arrived on scene,” they continued.
The suspect was described only as a man about 20-25 years of age. Police said speed is believed to be a factor in the crash.
Neighbors told KTLA5 they believe the suspect had been at a local bar before the crash.
“There is nothing but problems at this bar,” Renette Mazza, president of the Hamilton Neighborhood Association, told the station. “The neighborhood has outgrown this bar; nobody from this neighborhood comes here. They serve people until they can’t walk. They leave the bar drunk, and then they go into our neighborhood. Hit-and-runs happen all the time here. And now we have a family that died.”
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call detectives at 1-(562)-570-7355, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS. Tipsters may also use the website www.LACrimeStoppers.org.
