Man Arrested for Fatal Hit-and-Run, Less Than 15 Hours After the Crime Occurred

UPDATE

Los Angeles:  Valley Traffic Division Detectives identify, locate and arrest the suspect responsible for a fatal hit-and-run traffic collision.

On October 26, 2007, at around 11:30 p.m., Ever Robinson Chavez, 24, of Van Nuys was standing with a group of people in an apartment building parking located in the 7000 block of Lennox Avenue.

According to investigators Juan Antonio Lopez, 23, a tenant of the apartment complex was attempting to park his 1987 light blue Toyota Supra and struck Chavez.  Chavez was pinned against the parking lot retaining wall and suffered life threatening injuries.

Paramedics pronounced Chavez dead at the scene.

By law, Lopez was required to stop, identify himself and render aid to Chavez, however, Lopez left the parking lot.

Throughout the night and into the morning hours, detectives from Valley Traffic Division continued their investigation to locate suspect Lopez.  At 2:00 p.m., less than 15 hours from when the crime occurred, police made contact with Lopez and took him into custody without incident.

Juan Antonio Lopez was booked for felony Hit-and-Run and Manslaughter. His bail is set for $500,000.

For additional information, please call Police Officer Martha Garcia, Valley Traffic Division, at 818-374-1937, or Media Relations Section at 213-485-3586.

Comments

[b&w; op]

This is what the city's taxpayers are getting by having police hiring and background investigations being done by the Personnel Department instead of the Police Department.

The questions that remain unanswered are: Why were those candidates' backgrounds falsified? Who are they and were are they working now?

Ex-City Worker Charged With Falsifying Documents

(CBS) LOS ANGELES A former city background investigator pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he falsified documents of more than a dozen people applying to work for the Los Angeles Police Department in 2006 and 2007.

Darryl Eugene Washington, 49, of Riverside, is charged with 15 felony counts of public records violations.

Each count involves the alleged falsified background check of a potential candidate for the LAPD, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Washington, who previously worked as a security guard for the Getty Museum and as a customs inspector assigned to Los Angeles International Airport, was hired in January 2006 by the Los Angeles City Personnel Department as a background investigator, authorities said.

He was assigned to look into the backgrounds of potential LAPD officers, but an investigation determined that the reports contained alleged false and misleading information, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Washington is no longer employed by the city, Deputy District Attorney Jonlyn Callahan said.

Washington, who faces up to 18 years in state prison if convicted, was released on his own recognizance. He is due back at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse Dec. 7.

[Loves LA LEOs]

Thank you for posting the news item, Officer.

[flipper wiggum]

this story is a tad bit inaccurate. darryl was in charge of laundry at the getty, so basically he made sure all of the officer's clothes were cleaned and pressed. but these charges are not surprising to a lot of us getty officers. not that we expected 15 felony counts, but failure was kind of an expectation. during his getty tenure, he mostly spent his time flirting with women, so we didn't have much in common.