Victim ID'd In Deadly Lake Elsinore Hit-And-Run

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Sheriff's officials on Tuesday publicly identified a man who was hit and killed by a vehicle in Lake Elsinore over the weekend. He was just 24.

Gardell Cowart, II died on the roadway about an hour after he was hit on Highway 74/Central Avenue and Cambern Avenue, according to the Riverside County coroner's office.

Sheriff's officials say they were called at 11:36 p.m. Saturday to the crash site.

"Upon their arrival, officers discovered the pedestrian was struck by a vehicle traveling eastbound on [Highway] 74," sheriff's Sgt. Steve Jimenez said in a news release. "After the collision the driver fled the scene."

The driver who fled is being sought by authorities and anyone with information related to the case is asked to call the Lake Elsinore Police Department at (951) 245-3300.

— Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone