Authorities are searching for the driver of an electric scooter who struck and injured an elderly man on a sidewalk in Koreatown and may now be face the same charges as if she was driving a car. Ted Chen reports for the NBC4 News at 8 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2024.
Police continue to look for a woman who struck an elderly man while riding her scooter on a sidewalk in Koreatown earlier this month who later died.
The crash happened shortly before 5 p.m. on Sept. 12 on the 2800 block of James M Wood Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. There, surveillance cameras captured a man and a woman traveling on separate Lime electric scooters on the sidewalk.
Video shows the woman traveling ahead of the man on her scooter and then crashing into a pedestrian. The two then took off.
A friend of the victim told NBC4 that the elderly man was on his way to have dinner with his wife.
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Firefighters responded to the scene and treated the victim for a head injury. That man denied transportation to a hospital, LAPD said.
The person responsible for striking the victim can face legal charges as if they were driving a car, according to attorney Royal Oaks.
A hit-and-run report was taken at the scene, and detectives continued their investigation.
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Electric scooters are not allowed to be driven on sidewalks and must be driven on bike lanes. Those who are traveling on electric scooters must follow local traffic laws.
In a statement, Lime said it is aware of the incident and is cooperating with authorities.
"Lime is deeply saddened by this incident and our heart goes out to the victim," the company said. "We are investigating this matter internally and stand ready to assist the police in any way we can."
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact LAPD’s Olympic Community Police Station at 213-382-9102.
