A man who fatally struck a street vendor after allegedly stealing an Amazon delivery truck in South Los Angeles last week has been charged, police said Wednesday.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged 37-year-old Cristian Ramos Sanchez with felony counts of vehicular manslaughter, grand theft auto and hit-and-run, along with one misdemeanor count of hit-and-run, police said in an updated news release.
The ordeal unfolded about 2 p.m. Feb. 17, when Sanchez allegedly stole the truck while an Amazon driver was making a delivery along the 4100 block of Woodlawn Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
About 10 minutes later, Sanchez apparently lost control and crashed the truck near the intersection of Main Street and 47th Place.
“Sanchez crashed into a parked vehicle, pushed that vehicle in a southbound direction into other parked vehicles, causing an accordion style crash,” police said.
Sanchez then somehow drove the truck onto the sidewalk and struck three men before crashing into a building in the area.
Two of the pedestrians suffered minor injuries, but the third was “immediately killed by the truck,” police said.
Family identified him as 57-year-old Jose Rangel who worked as a street vendor.
Sanchez got out of the truck and ran away, but was followed by community members who called police.
An LAPD helicopter responded and found the suspect in the area of 51st Street and Broadway, where he was taken into custody.
Sanchez is expected to be arraigned Wednesday and prosecutors are requesting that his bail be set at $235,000, police said.
