A South Los Angeles family is asking the public to help identify the driver responsible for hitting and killing a 72-year-old grandfather in a crosswalk Wednesday evening.
Alberto Castañeda Aco was walking home from work as a sewing machine operator when he was hit in the crosswalk at the intersection of Adams Boulevard and Main Street in South LA.
“My dad was dragged all the way over there because the car spun,” his daughter, Martha Correa, said as she showed NBC4 News the several yards the car dragged her father. The suspect vehicle ran a red light, plowing into another sedan and hitting Castañeda Aco in the crosswalk.
“He died so violently because he was dragged and thrown and when we got to the hospital, we were not able to see him,” she said.
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The suspect was driving an Infiniti Sedan that was stolen out of Uphill, California on Dec. 26, according to the police report. The driver and at least three others abandoned the vehicle at the scene and ran.
According to the report, a witness said two men and two women got out of the car and ran, taking a Nitrous Oxide tank with them. Nitrous Oxide is illegal when used recreationally, used by people to feel intoxicated or high, according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.
An officer in the report stated he found a purple balloon in the abandoned car. A photo from a nearby business owner also showed one of the people in the car had an orange balloon in their hand before they ran. Balloons can be used to inhale the Nitrogen Oxide.
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Correa fears people may not care because her father is an immigrant from Mexico. She said he came here decades ago for the American Dream and he refused to stop working, even at his age, and that’s what he was doing before walking through the intersection that evening.
“I don't want his immigrant story to be like any other immigrant story, where they work under the shadows and they don't get any benefits because my dad was a hardworking man. He paid his taxes,” Correa.
Castañeda Aco leaves behind five children, eight grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.
“I'm angry,” Correa said. “Whatever they did… they stole a vehicle, they were joyriding, having fun… But this one has consequences and they may think they got away, but they could do this to someone else.”
Correa said she’s worried police officers are overwhelmed with these kinds of incidentss and is asking the community for help.
“I want a call for action, I want to make sure that people see this story,” she said. “We need more funding, more funding for the police officers that are working on this case, funding for more cameras, funding for more lighting.”
The family is raising money online for the funeral and plans to invest the rest into community action for safer streets.
If anyone has information, contact Central Traffic Detectives at (213) 833-3713 or the Central Traffic Division Watch Commander at (213) 833-3746. During weekends and off-hours or telephone the 24-hour toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).
For anonymous telephone calls, please call LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org, or Tipsters www.lapdonline.org.
