Long Beach police are asking for the public’s help in identifying suspects in two separate hit-and-run crashes that occurred earlier this year, which left one person with serious injuries and a 71-year-old man dead.
The first crash took place on July 12 at around 11:08 p.m. in the area of Long Beach Boulevard and Ellis Street. Police say the driver of a black Ford truck fled the scene after crashing into someone, leaving them in critical condition.
“The other party suffered catastrophic injuries that have left him paralyzed from the neck down,” a collisions detective said in a video released by the Long Beach Police Department on Friday.
The second hit-and-run crash happened on Nov. 4 in the area of Anaheim Street and Walnut Avenue. Samuel Rivera, 71, was riding his bike in a crosswalk at around 6:22 a.m. when a white sedan traveling westbound on Anaheim Street failed to stop and hit him before fleeing the scene.
When police arrived at the scene of the crash, Rivera was being treated by Long Beach fire personnel. He was taken to a local hospital with critical injuries and remained there until he died on Nov. 13.
“It’s the holiday season. We should be celebrating, and instead we are looking for the Long Beach community’s help in identifying who is responsible for this incident,” Rivera’s daughter, Juana, said in the video released by the LBPD.
Police ask anyone with information to contact LBPD at 562-570-7355. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or lacrimestoppers.org.