2 Killed in Crash ID’d, Suspect Arrested
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (May 22, 2023) – Kevin Castillo, 20, of Pomona, and Maria Belen Polanco, 20, of Los Angeles, both died in a hit-and-run crash at Normandie Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Elmer Santos, 31, of Los Angeles, was driving a white Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Authorities say he was traveling at high speed when he allegedly crashed into a white BMW as it exited a drive-thru restaurant near the intersection. The two-vehicle crash occurred around 12:38 a.m. on May 21st, according to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Division.
The two occupants inside the BMW, a 21-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Witnesses followed the suspect and called 911. Eventually, police arrested Elmer Santos at his home shortly after the alleged hit-and-run crash. Authorities say he was allegedly speeding when he crashed into the victims’ car and then fled the scene on foot. He faces murder charges and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail.
Los Angeles County Fire sent paramedics to the crash scene around 12:38 a.m. on Sunday, May 21st in front of 3998 S. Normandie Avenue. They pronounced two people dead at the scene.
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
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Source: LAPD, LAT
