logo
‘Devastating' hit-and-run involving impaired driver leaves pedestrian dead in Torrance

‘Devastating' hit-and-run involving impaired driver leaves pedestrian dead in Torrance

Yahoo20-04-2025
More details have been released surrounding a fatal hit-and-run collision in Torrance that was described by officials as 'devastating.'
The crash occurred around 8:40 p.m. Saturday evening at Pacific Coast Highway and Ocean Avenue and involved four vehicles and a pedestrian, the Torrance Police Department stated in a media release issued Sunday.
'The collision involved multiple vehicles, and a pedestrian fell off the curb in the Pacific Coast Highway lanes,' TPD stated in their media release.
Deadly wrong-way crash shuts down freeway in downtown Los Angeles on Easter Sunday
Emergency crews rushed to the area but the pedestrian succumbed to their injuries at the scene, police confirmed. They have yet to be identified by the L.A. County Medical Examiner's Office.
Video taken in the aftermath of the crash by KTLA shows what appeared to be the pedestrian's possessions, including a suitcase and some articles of clothing, on the sidewalk in front of a McDonald's. Citizen App footage showed a large police presence blocking off the roadway as traffic was redirected.
Traffic on PCH was 'severely impacted' in the wake of the crash as authorities began their probe into its cause. Their investigation revealed that one of the drivers involved was under the influence, and that motorist was arrested.
Their identity was not disclosed.
'Erratic' man who bit police officer dies in custody after being arrested at Orange County park
'This arrest underscores the ongoing issues surrounding impaired driving and the dangers it poses to all road users,' Torrance police said. 'Our thoughts are with the victim's family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.'
Anyone with more information on the crash is asked to contact the Torrance Police Department by calling 310-618-5557 and referencing TPD case #250013850.
Further details surrounding the collision will be released at a later date, authorities said.
KTLA photojournalist Nelson Castillo contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Homeless criminal beat elderly Sikh worshipper with a golf club, leaving him soaked in blood: cops
Homeless criminal beat elderly Sikh worshipper with a golf club, leaving him soaked in blood: cops

New York Post

time10 hours ago

  • New York Post

Homeless criminal beat elderly Sikh worshipper with a golf club, leaving him soaked in blood: cops

A homeless man with a long criminal history viciously beat a 70-year-old Sikh man with a golf club near his place of worship, according to California cops — with the victim seen soaked in blood before being put on a medically induced coma. The attacker approached Harpal Singh on a bike in North Hollywood on Aug. 4 — then repeatedly bashed him with the club, before walking away, according to KTLA. Disturbing footage shows the battered 70-year-old stoically sitting cross-legged on the ground, completely covered in blood — and left holding the club used to beat him. 3 Singh was filmed calmly sitting on the ground after the vicious attack. justice for Harpal Singh Singh was put in a medically induced coma with a fractured skull and possible brain damage. Bo Richard Vitagliano, 44, was arrested Monday night — a week after the attack — and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. The 'unhoused' suspect has 'an extensive criminal record,' including for narcotics, weapons and assault with a deadly weapon, the chief said. 3 Singh remained in a medically-induced coma as of Monday a week after he was attacked. justice for Harpal Singh The attack happened not far from the Sikh Gurdwara of Los Angeles — Singh's regular place of worship — but religion did not appear to be a factor in the attack, the chief said. 'Based on the evidence in this matter, North Hollywood detectives believe the assault was not a hate crime,' McDonnell stated. It instead seemed to be 'motivated by a dispute over property belonging to the victim,' the chief said, without elaborating on what. 3 Vitagliano approached Singh on a bike and beat him with a golf club. ktla5 However, the Sikh Coalition, an organization supporting the rights of Sikhs in the US, said they believe 'it is impossible to completely rule out a bias motive at this stage.' Cops would make extra patrols in the area, the chief said, to reassure members of the sikh community worshipping there.

Buffalo Wild Wings worker made high schooler ‘prove' she's a girl, activists say
Buffalo Wild Wings worker made high schooler ‘prove' she's a girl, activists say

Miami Herald

time12 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

Buffalo Wild Wings worker made high schooler ‘prove' she's a girl, activists say

An 18-year-old high schooler was forced by a Buffalo Wild Wings worker to 'prove' she is a girl inside the women's restroom of the Minnesota restaurant, according to a non-profit. Gender Justice, a nonprofit organization that focuses on gender equity law, has now filed a discrimination charge with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights on behalf of Gerika Mudra. 'What happened to Gerika Mudra was not just wrong, it was unlawful,' Sara Jan Baldwin, senior staff attorney at Gender Justice, said in a statement. Mudra was at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Owatonna on Easter when she was followed into the restroom by a server, according to Gender Justice. The employee banged on her stall door and told Mudra she had to 'prove' she was a girl. The nonprofit said the worker blocked the exit and made Mudra unzip her hoodie to show she had breasts. Mudra complied in an encounter that left her mortified. Mudra is not transgender but said the incident is not the first encounter she has had over her gender. This one, however, was the worst, she said. 'She made me feel very uncomfortable,' Mudra said. 'After that, I just don't like going in public bathrooms. I just hold it in.' McClatchy News reached out to Buffalo Wild Wings on Aug. 13 and was awaiting a response. Shauna Otterness, Mudra's stepmother, said in a news release she believes her stepdaughter was 'targeted because of how she looks.' But in Minnesota, it is illegal for public accomodations to discriminate on the basis of 'gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, sex, or race.' Megan Peterson, executive director at Gender Justice, said the incident involving Mudra is 'nothing new.' 'And yet, in our current climate we have to ask: What if Gerika had been a trans person?' Peterson said. 'Would this story have ended differently? That's the terrifying reality too many trans people live with every day.' Gender Justice said Mudra's experience from Buffalo Wild Wings is one that transgender and gender-nonconforming people deal with often. 'I want people to know they're not alone. They're not the only people this happens to,' Mudra said. 'It's OK to stick up for yourselves and be who you are.

Ukraine studied drug cartels to learn how to sneak drones into Russia for its 'Operation Spiderweb' attack
Ukraine studied drug cartels to learn how to sneak drones into Russia for its 'Operation Spiderweb' attack

Business Insider

timea day ago

  • Business Insider

Ukraine studied drug cartels to learn how to sneak drones into Russia for its 'Operation Spiderweb' attack

The architects behind Ukraine's audacious "Operation Spiderweb" attack studied drug cartels to plan how to smuggle drones into Russia, Kyiv's security service chief said. Vasyl Malyuk, head of Ukraine's internal security service and widely hailed as a driving force in the June attack, said in an interview aired on Tuesday that his team leveraged its experience battling international crime for the complex strike. "Operation Spiderweb" involved Ukraine sneaking hundreds of military quadcopters deep behind Russian lines, transporting the drones via wooden house-like structures mounted on trucks. These trucks were brought to four airbases, where the drones were then launched to wreak destruction on strategic bombers and early warning and control planes there. "Speaking of logistics," Malyuk told Ukrainian TV channel My-Ukrainia, "I should note that we drew on our experience in fighting transnational crime, when we studied in detail how international drug cartels secretly deliver various prohibited substances to different corners of the world without detection by customs and border authorities." The security service head alluded to an earlier covert attack that Ukraine carried out in October 2022, when its forces severely damaged a Russian-controlled bridge in Crimea with a truck filled with explosives. "If you read between the lines and look at it professionally, I think many have noticed certain parallels between the first strike on the Crimea bridge," Malyuk said. He said that in both situations, Ukraine didn't employ smugglers but relied on customs officials in Russia. "Who are, by their nature, very corrupt," Malyuk said. "At a certain stage, they actually played to our advantage in delivering the cabins I mentioned." A fake company with drivers in the dark Malyuk said that Ukraine, through its agents in Russia, created a logistics company that purchased five vehicles and rented warehouse space for the operation. One of these warehouses was even in the same city block as Russia's Federal Security Service headquarters in the Chelyabinsk region, the security service chief said. Malyuk added that the shell logistics company hired Russian citizens as truck drivers, sending them on multiple regular delivery jobs to avoid suspicion before springing the attack. The security service chief said these drivers were only told to deliver the cabins near the airbases, whereupon a customer was meant to arrive and pay for them. The drivers themselves were left in the dark, Malyuk added. The security chief said that when one of the drivers inadvertently saw the drones inside one cabin, Ukrainian agents told him the systems were hunting tools for observing animals. "In reality, they committed no illegal acts, and there was no intent in their actions," Malyuk said. The SBU chief also said that his team wanted to launch the attack in May but hit several delays, including the drivers getting drunk during the Easter holiday season. According to Malyuk, each truck-mounted cabin included solar panels and a battery to keep the drones charged and ready for deployment in cold weather; the quadcopters were launched in temperatures as low as 104 degrees Fahrenheit. "But at the same time, it created additional difficulties in bringing these cabins into the territory of the Russian Federation, because these types of goods simply can't be taken there, since Russia is under sanctions," Malyuk. The security service chief declined to share further details about the smuggling process, but said his team went "through seven circles of hell." He added that Ukraine had designed attack drones specifically for "Operation Spiderweb" and that each could carry a payload of 1.6 kg. Ukrainian officials have said that the attack hit about a third of Russia's strategic bomber capacity, inflicting damage on roughly $7 billion worth of equipment. Since the attack, satellite images show that Russia has begun constructing hardened shelters for its bombers. Ukraine has, in recent months, simultaneously stepped up long-range drone assaults via fixed-wing uncrewed systems.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store