March 07--Glendale police on Saturday were continuing to search for a hit-and-run driver who fatally struck a 4-year-old girl, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 5 p.m. in the 1200 block of East Wilson Avenue, said Glendale police Officer Tom Lorenz. The girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
"This is such a tragedy," Lorenz said.
The girl was identified by relatives as Violeta Khachaturyan, KTLA5 reported.
Neighbor Sabrina Lopez, 15, said she saw the little girl run into the street and get hit by the car. She said the girl's body flew into the air and hit the back of a parked car, shattering the window, before landing back on the street.
"She died right there and then," Lopez said.
She said the girl's mother was standing on the porch of the family's apartment complex at the time.
"The mom ran into the street to get her baby," Lopez said. "She was screaming. She didn't know what to do."
Lopez said the mother then picked up the child and carried her to the lawn in front of the apartment complex.
"She poured water on her face and mouth to see if she was alive," Lopez said. "And [the girl] didn't respond."
Another motorist stopped and called police, she said.
Authorities say the child ran into the street from between two parked cars and was hit.
The driver fled the scene in what police said was a white or beige sedan southbound on Wilson. But Lopez said the car was a black sedan.
"There was nothing the driver could have done, and had he or she stopped, no crime would have been committed," Lorenz said. "But now it's felony hit-and-run."
Anyone with information about the car or driver is asked to call Glendale police at (818) 548-4911.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Anyone with information about the car or driver may call Glendale police at (818) 548-4911.
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