The Los Angeles Police Department said in a car accident report that a man lost his life following a rear-end collision in the Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. 83-year-old Benito So Jr. was sitting in his parked vehicle on Monday, August, 17th, when a car slammed into him from behind.
The report about the accident came in around 1:45 a.m. in the 7100-block of Foothill Boulevard. The preliminary investigation uncovered that a driver, identified as 21-year-old Davit Davtyan, was northbound on Foothill when his vehicle struck that of the victim.
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So Jr. died at the scene from his injuries, and the police believe that the man was probably homeless and sleeping in his car. Officer William Cooper of the LAPD Media Relations said that Davtyan fled from the crash site after the collision, but later returned, and they placed him under arrest.
The police charged the suspect with gross vehicular manslaughter. They did not release any information on his bail condition. Detectives from the LAPD Valley Traffic Division are heading the investigation.
Under the California Penal Code, the offense of gross vehicular manslaughter is often linked to intoxication. PC 191.5 defines it as an offense committed when a motorist, while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and driving with gross negligence causes an accident and kills a person.
A conviction means spending either 4, 6, or 10 years in state prison. The punishment is separate from the DUI charge the offender would face, and the person would also have his or her driver’s license suspended.
Disclaimer: The Safety Watch article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.
The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Safety Watch’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.