Driver Backs Into Elderly Man And Flees In Woodland Hills [VIDEO]

WOODLAND HILLS, CA — Police Tuesday released video they hope will lead the public to help them find the driver of vehicle that struck and critically injured an 89-year-old man in a Woodland Hills parking lot before leaving the scene without identifying himself.

The collision, which was caught on camera, occurred about 9:30 a.m. on March 28 in the 22000 block of Burbank Boulevard west of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Officers arrived and learned that Roy Ito was walking in the parking lot when he was struck by a newer-model gray Ford Fusion sedan that was backing out of a parking space, police said.

"Mr. Ito was hit by the rear end of the car and fell to the ground hitting his head causing a serious injury," according to an LAPD statement. "The driver of the vehicle stopped to render aide ... but failed to identify himself."

The video shows the Ford slowly backing into the man, who loses his balance and falls backward.

The male driver and a female passenger then get out and check on the man. The video then cuts to firefighters loading the fallen pedestrian into an ambulance while the Ford is backed out of a parking space and driven from the scene.

Paramedics took Ito to a hospital, where he remains listed in critical condition.

The driver is described as a male who is about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs around 180 pounds. He was wearing a green long-sleeved jacket with buttons and blue jeans. The female passenger in the car was wearing a long green dress and a white sweater.

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run was urged to call detectives at the LAPD's Valley Traffic Division at (818) 644-8115 or (818) 644- 8021.

After-hours and weekend calls should be directed to (877) LAPD-24-7. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling (800) 222- TIPS.

City News Service