A man wanted in a hit-and-run that killed a teenager in Bell last month was arrested Wednesday after surrendering at a police station.
Police had been searching for 37-year-old Charles Garcia in connection with the crash that took the life of 17-year-old Joshua Maldonado as he was skateboarding near Gage and Bear avenues.
Garcia surrendered at the Bell police station at noon Wednesday, according to the Bell Police Department. He was arrested without incident and booked for felony hit-and-run. His bail was set at $260,000.
The arrest came a day before a funeral service was planned for Maldonado.
On the night of Aug. 29., the teen was riding his skateboard just four blocks from his home when a car coming in the opposite direction struck him head-on, police and a witness said. The driver fled, leaving Maldonado to die in the street, but police said the moment of impact was captured by a nearby surveillance camera.
Garcia was initially named a person of interest. Investigators later said there was a sufficient evidence to get a warrant for his arrest.
Maldonado had started his senior year at Bell High School, had a job interview lined up and dreamed of one day being a dentist, his family said.
