INSIDE SCOOP
OPINION
WILL WELLER SPILL IT?
BUSINESS
PAGE 3 OUR KIDS ARE LAB RATS
PAGE 4 FATTEN UP THAT WALLET
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2007
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PAGE 14
Volume 6 Issue 62
Santa Monica Daily Press
DAKOTA WEATHERS THE STORM PAGE 17
Since 2001: A news odyssey
THE FRESH FISH ISSUE
TENANTSâ TRIALS
KILLING TIME With their landlord in jail fighting murder charges, renters are left in the dark
STORY PAGE 12 Kevin Herrera kevinh@smdp.com
OUT OF SERVICE: The sign at a crosswalk in which an elderly man was killed on Wednesday while crossing Santa Monica Boulevard served as an eerie reminder to the threats pedestrians face.
An afternoon stroll leads into tragedy Elderly man is killed while crossing street; sun may be to blame BY KEVIN HERRERA Daily Press Staff Writer
MID-CITY An elderly man was struck and killed by a motorist Wednesday afternoon as he made his way through a crosswalk at the intersection of Euclid Street and Santa Monica Boulevard, according to police. The victim, a white male believed to be in his 70s, was struck around 3:15 p.m. as he walked north on Euclid Street. The driver, who was not identified, but is between the ages of 60 and 70, was traveling westbound on Santa Monica Boulevard in a four-door Jaguar, SMPD Lt. Alex Padilla said. âAt this point, we believe (the incident) may have been caused by glare from the sun, but we donât know the exact cause of the accident,â Padilla said. âWe have not been able to identify the victim at this time. We are awaiting the arrival of the coroner and then we must notify the next of kin.â The driver was taken into police custody, submitted to a blood test and was said to be cooperating with the investigation. âRight now, we are interviewing witnesses and are looking at objects that fell to the ground so we can determine the speed at the
time of the impact,â Padilla said. âWe will await the results of the toxicology tests and see if criminal charges will be filed.â Police closed off a portion of Santa Monica Boulevard between 14th and 12th streets immediately following the crash. Several people at the scene said the pedestrian being struck was not surprising, since the lighted crosswalk was not working properly. A sign posted by the crosswalk activation button read: âFlashers out of service. Sorry.â City Hall has had a series of problems in the last few years related to lighted crosswalks malfunctioning. City officials could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. âItâs blatant. People just donât stop for pedestrians,â said Mike Kessler, an employee at the Subaru car dealership located just a few feet from Wednesdayâs crash scene. âIâve called the city repeatedly to put a cop here, but they havenât. Several times a day I see people almost hit here. It doesnât matter. Maybe they should put in a (traffic) light.â Adi Rhone, who lives on 12th Street near Santa Monica Boulevard, said he never crosses at Euclid Street because he is afraid of getting hit. âItâs too dangerous,â Rhone said, as he stood next to yellow police tape tied to a stop sign. âI always walk to 11th (Street) or 14th (Street) if I need to cross. Even if I donât see any cars, I always look twice and proceed with caution. âYou never know when someone is going to zoom by.â
GABY SCHKUD (310) 586-0308 The name you can depend on!
Christine Chang news@smdp.com
FENCED IN: Among the tenants remaining at 2617 Third St., a building owned by murder suspect Helen Golay, are one with failing electricity and another piping in water from a garden hose.
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