A Long Beach man was sentenced Friday to 16 years in state prison after he pleaded no contest to charges he crashed into and killed a man who was pushing a disabled vehicle on a Long Beach street and injured a woman who was steering the vehicle.
Patrick Mount, 61, pleaded no contest Oct. 20 to one count each of gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving resulting in death or serious injury.
The crash occurred at about 3:45 a.m. July 7, 2021, on Artesia Boulevard at Butler Avenue near the 710 Freeway overpass, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Police identified the victim as Darnell Bluitt, 54, of Compton. Police said Bluitt was one of two men who were pushing a disabled 1993 Acura sedan westbound on Artesia Boulevard with the help of a 43-year-old Compton woman steering the vehicle.
A 2010 GMC truck struck them from behind, killing Bluitt and injuring the woman who was steering. The truck’s driver fled in the vehicle to a nearby neighborhood, authorities said.
Officers subsequently located the truck and arrested Mount. He has remained behind bars since his arrest the day of the crash, jail records show.