A 17-year-old student was struck and killed by a service truck Tuesday less than a mile from a Los Angeles charter high school that had closed following a threat made against LAUSD campuses, officials said.
Just before 7:30 a.m., 17-year-old Andres Perez was crossing the street at Avenue 60 and Figueroa Street in Highland Park on his way to Los Angeles International Charter High School when he was hit by a city big rig, said Margo Minecki, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
Perez apparently did not know classes were cancelled.
The victim's family was notified and was with Mayor Eric Garcetti's crisis team, Det. Megan Aguilar said.
Flowers and candles marked the spot where Perez was killed by Tuesday afternoon, as friends gathered at the site. They said he was a joyful person who loved to shoot funny movies.
He had recently been admitted to Cal State University, Los Angeles, where he planned to study film.
The driver, a 27-year employee of the city, was uninjured.
"He was fully cooperative with the investigation did stop made sure notifications were made is very distraught about what has happened," Aguilar said.
The school made the decision to close for the day after the LAUSD received an email threat that led to closures and searches at the district's 900 campuses.
