Police are searching for the driver who killed a 4-year-old California girl in a hit-and-run crash when she ran into a street while playing with her parents Friday.
Violeta Khachaturyan died after the 5:30 p.m. incident at East Wilson Avenue and Olive Street in Glendale, police said.
Violeta ran into the street, was struck by a white or cream colored car and was thrown at least four car lengths into the back of another vehicle. The impact was so severe she smashed the window of the parked car.
"This is a child that had hopes and dreams that one day she could be something and now she's no longer with us," said family friend Arshak Bareghmayan, who called Violeta fun and energetic.
"She ran across the street... and next thing we know we just heard a loud bang and the child just flew across the street and that's it."
The girl's parents Anna and Robert were too devastated to speak about the incident. A memorial was set up near where she was hit.
An eyewitness named Sabrina said they had tried to stop her from running onto the road.
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"The family was calling something and then I guess she didn't listen and the car just hit her. All I saw is that she flew from the car," said Sabrina, who didn't give her last name.
Police do not know if the driver was man or a woman, and the family have appealed for information.
"We do encourage everyone, the driver, to please come forward... if anybody knows any information, if anybody has seen anything, this is the time to do the right thing," Bareghmayan added.
Jason Kandel, Robert Kovacik and Rosa Ordaz contributed to this article
