LA Hit-and-Run Kills Teen, 16; Driver Linked to 10 Robberies Still at Large

A 16-year-old boy was killed and his 13-year-old sister critically injured in a South LA hit-and-run on Sept. 22. The suspect, Raygine Glentasia Evans, remains at large with a $50,000 reward offered.

$50,000 Reward Offered After Fatal South LA Hit-and-Run Kills 16-Year-Old

A driver wanted in connection with ten Los Angeles robberies is being sought by police after allegedly running a stop sign at high speed and striking two children crossing a South Los Angeles street with their mother, NY Post Metro reports. Hernan Martinez, 16, died at the scene; his 13-year-old sister, Vicky, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

The crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. on September 22 at the intersection of 10th Avenue and 60th Street in the Hyde Park neighborhood.

Suspect identified, still at large

The Los Angeles Police Department named the suspected driver Thursday as Raygine Glentasia Evans. According to the LAPD, Evans has been cited nine times previously for reckless driving and running stop signs, and is also wanted in connection with ten robberies across Los Angeles. A passenger in the vehicle, Joannae Shavon Rosby, was also identified by police.

Surveillance footage captured both women fleeing the wrecked blue Nissan Sentra moments after impact. The two were seen running down the street before being picked up by another vehicle.

Impact and aftermath

Hernan was struck with such force that he was thrown onto the hood of the Nissan, which continued down the street before colliding with several parked vehicles, according to KTLA. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Neighbor Jerome Alexander told ABC7 he heard the collision from inside his home. "We heard a loud bang. Honestly, it was so loud it sounded like someone hit a building or a car," he said. When he went outside, he found Vicky partially pinned beneath a parked car, initially unresponsive. Her mother's voice appeared to bring her around. "At first, she wasn't conscious and then her mom started talking to her and her eyes popped open," Alexander recalled.

Alexander said he then saw Hernan lying across the suspect's vehicle before the boy fell to the ground.

In a separate incident at the scene, Alexander said a man returned to the wrecked Nissan and removed what appeared to be a baby from the back seat. When Alexander intervened, the man expressed no concern for the dying teenager. "I said stop touching the car, they just killed somebody's kid, and he said, 'I don't care about that,'" Alexander recalled.

Family mourning, community responds

Hernan's older brother, Eliseo Martinez, told KTLA that their mother managed to pull Vicky away from the oncoming car but was unable to reach Hernan in time. "My mom, me and my sister are trying to pull it all together for one another," Eliseo said.

Vicky has since undergone surgery and faces an extended recovery.

Eliseo described his younger brother as a warm and creative teenager who loved baking and sewing. "He was only 16 years old and had so much life ahead of him," he wrote in a GoFundMe appeal. "Losing him so unexpectedly has left a pain in our family that is difficult to put into words." The campaign has raised more than $18,000 of a $22,000 goal.

Around 200 relatives, friends and neighbors gathered for a rosary in Hernan's honor. Community volunteers also painted a crosswalk at the intersection where he was killed and called on city authorities to strengthen pedestrian protections at the site.

Reward and tip line

The LAPD announced Thursday that a reward of up to $50,000 is available for information leading to Evans's arrest. Anyone with information is asked to contact LAPD South Traffic Division Officer Hurd at 213-321-9681, or to submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Source: NY Post Metro