Authorities and the victim's family are seeking the public's help in identifying the hit-and-run motorist responsible for a fatal collision in Compton that killed a young man just days before his high school graduation.
Christopher Frushon, 19, was in a crosswalk at about 8:45 p.m. on May 26 at Wilmington Avenue north of Stockwell Street when he was struck and thrown into the air by a car that kept going. Frushon later died at a hospital from blunt force injuries, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
"The suspect vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed, well above the posted 35 mph speed limit, when (the driver) ran the red stop light at Stockwell Street," according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
"It's horrible, it's unfair that someone would just--struck him like that--then flee," said Frushon's mother Rachel Vazquez.
A new job had led her and the rest of Frushon's immediate family to move to the Sacramento area this past year. Frushon remained behind with his grandmother, and was to have joined them after finishing his senior year at the Dominguez High School complex, she said.
Just a week before his death, Frushon had taken his girlfriend of three years, Alyssa Gonzalez, to the prom. Wednesday evening, at the location where Frushon was mortally injured, Gonzalez joined his family in an appeal for anyone with information on the hit and run to contact authorities.
Frushon was walking with a friend. They had a green light. A motorist stopped at the red light for traffic on Wilmington Avenue saw the two suddenly start running, according to Sheriff's Det. Jaeton Wilson, traffic investigator for the Compton area. As the speeding car approached and went through the red light, the friend was able to reach the curb safely, but behind him Frushon did not.
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The suspect car, which was recorded on surveillance video speeding away, was described as a mid-size sedan, possibly a Dodge Charger or a Kia, with extensive front-end damage. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call (310) 605-3516 to speak with Det. Wilson or Sgt. Arthur Thomas.
The watch commander's office can be reached at (310) 605-6505.
Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
