Two daughters were mourning the loss of their mother who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in North Hollywood early Saturday as police searched for the driver of a white Mercedes-Benz captured on surveillance video.
The victim, identified by her daughters as 48-year-old Ofelia Salazar, was pushing a shopping cart while crossing the street in an unmarked section of Lankershim Boulevard about 2 a.m. when she was struck by the Mercedes. The driver apparently stopped and then fled after the collision, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Investigators said the speed limit near where Salazar was hit is 35 mph. Based on the distance between the point of impact and where her body landed, it appears that the car was consistent with the speed limit, police said.
The contents of Salazar's shopping car were scattered along the street for about 50 to 75 feet.
A surveillance camera outside a swap meet captured grainy black-and-white images of a car matching the description of the Mercedes.
Salazar's daughters, 20-year-old Yandira and 17-year-old Jenesis, gathered at a mini memorial filled with candles that marks the spot where their mother lost her life.
"It's not fair for us to be without our mom," Yandira said.
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"I want him to turn himself in," she added. "She was a good mom."
A memorial fund was set up for Salazar at Wells Fargo bank. The account number is 8571428492.
The daughters said their mother struggled with alcoholism for nearly a decade. The victim was known in the area as a homeless woman who walked up and down Lankershim Boulevard pushing a shopping cart filled with recyclables.
Police were interviewing witnesses at the scene Saturday morning.
