A 17-year-old boy riding a scooter in North Long Beach was struck and killed by a driver who appears to have been under the influence and speeding, police said today.
The crash happened around 12:40 a.m. Sunday near Orange Avenue and South Street, the Long Beach Police Department said in a news release.
The boy was riding a “self-propelled” scooter when a driver in a Cadillac SRX hit him on northbound Orange Avenue, the LBPD said. The driver tried to speed off but crashed into an apartment building a few blocks to the north, police said. Nobody at the apartment building was hurt, according to the LBPD.
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“The driver then fled the scene on foot,” police said. “A short time later, the driver returned to the scene and was taken into custody by officers.”
Medics took the boy to a nearby hospital where he died. Authorities haven’t publicly released his name.
Police identified the driver as Karen Mativa, a 35-year-old resident of Compton.
Investigators believe speed and impaired driving were factors in the crash, police said.
According to the LBPD, Mativa was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence, hit and run resulting in death or injury, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and assault with a deadly weapon with force.
Bail was set at $130,000, police said.
The LBPD asked anyone with information about the crash to contact Detective Kevin Johansen at 562-570-7355.