Crime & Safety
Driver Kills North Hills Mother Taking Baby Out Of Car Seat
A woman was killed and her two-year-old is in critical condition after a driver slammed into them. The driver faces a murder charge.
NORTH HILLS, CA — A woman was killed and her toddler was critically injured in North Hills when a pickup truck hit them and several parked vehicles, and the motorist was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, police said Monday.
The crash was reported at 10:26 p.m. Sunday at 8815 North Woodley Ave., said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Ruth Chinchilla, 34, of North Hills died at the scene, the coroner's office reported. The child was taken to a hospital in critical condition, Stewart said.
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Jose Macias, 22, of North Hills was booked on suspicion of second-degree murder, the LAPD reported.
The injured child, reportedly a 2-year-old girl, remained in critical but stable condition Monday morning.
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According to the preliminary investigation, Macias was driving a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck north on Woodley Avenue when the truck hit six parked vehicles.
"Ruth Chinchilla ... was taking her child out of a car seat in the back of her parked vehicle when she was struck by Macias' truck," an LAPD statement said.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call LAPD Valley Traffic Division investigators at (818) 644-8115, or (877) LAPD-247.
City News Service; Photo: Youtube screengrab