A 23-year-old man was killed when a minor fender-bender escalated into a chaotic roadside confrontation in downtown Los Angeles.
Angel Demarcos was driving his Dodge Challenger with his girlfriend in the passenger seat in downtown Los Angeles when it was sideswiped by a Kia Optima. Demarcos signaled for the other driver to pull over.
When Demarcos got out of his Challenger, the other driver drove toward him, witnesses said. He was carried on the hood of the car for about a block before he was thrown to the ground, said Lulu Faust, who was in a nearby Staples parking lot.
“It was brutal,” Faust said. “She actually stopped, and he got out of the car, but as soon as he was in front she started driving and he jumped on her car. She drove off with him on the car.
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She was going to do whatever she could to get out of this situation.
Lulu Faust, witness
“She started driving really fast, and then went around the corner. He fell off as she was turning.”
Faust said she made eye contact with the Kia driver as she left the scene.
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“We could see that she wasn’t going to stop,” Faust said. “She was going to do whatever she could to get out of this situation.
Police said Demarcos’ girlfriend provided video that she said shows the car that struck his Challenger. Police said they have not determined why the driver did not stop.
“We don’t ask people to stop and apprehend people because something could happen,” said LAPD Detective Juan Campos. “Something did happen, and it cost a man’s life.
“I don’t know what’s her side of the story, why she didn’t stop. She may have a justifiable reason, but I need her side of the story.”
No arrests were reported early Friday.
