3 Killed in 2 Hours by Hit-And-Run Drivers

Three people died in separate hit-and-runs that occurred within a two-hour period in Los Angeles overnight, and police on Sunday were asking for the public's help.

The crashes occurred late Saturday and early Sunday, two along Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley and one in South Los Angeles.

About 11:45 p.m. in Studio City, a 35-year-old Santa Monica man was crossing Ventura Boulevard at Fairway Avenue outside of crosswalks, according to an LAPD statement.

A white Mercedes Benz CLS bearing paper plates with yellow lettering struck the man and carried him about 100 yards, police said. The car was traveling eastbound "at a very high rate of speed" along Ventura Boulevard, according to a police statement.

The vehicle would have major front-end damage, police said.

The man died at the scene.

About 12:30 a.m., a woman in her mid-40s was crossing 102nd Street and Central Avenue in South Los Angeles when a dark-colored sedan fatally struck her and sped off, police said.

The vehicle was believed to be involved in a street race along Central Avenue.

At 1:45 a.m., a valet in Sherman Oaks was opening the door of a Ford Focus for the owner when a car suddenly struck both of them and sped away without stopping.

The Ford Focus owner, a 22-year-old Van Nuys man, was critically injured and later died at a hospital. The valet survived without any serious injury.

The suspect's vehicle was described as a silver, newer-model Hyundai sedan, which was traveling westbound on Ventura Boulevard west of Kester Avenue.

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