Caught on video: Driver runs over man who crashed scooter, then takes off

(KTLA) – Police in California are asking for help in finding the driver of a van who was caught on video running over a man who had fallen off a scooter.

It happened around 8:55 p.m. Saturday when Luis Lopez was riding an electrical scooter in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Lopez lost his balance, fell to the asphalt and was knocked unconscious, surveillance video released by police on Tuesday showed.

Lopez, 40, remained still on the ground when a white Ford Econoline van ran over him, dragging him about 25 feet before he was dislodged.

The driver of the van is then seen taking off without stopping to check on Lopez.

“It appears that the driver did stop because the brake lights were illuminated, enough for him to see what he ran over,” Detective Juan Campos said. “I need that driver to come forward and talk to me and turn himself in and tell me the other side of the story.”

Firefighters responded to the scene and transported Lopez to a hospital with severe injuries. He was in stable condition and expected to recover.

In a video recorded by the LAPD, Lopez pleaded for the driver to turn himself or herself in.

“Please,” he said in Spanish while lying in a hospital bed with braces on both his legs, bandages on his arms and cuts on his face. “Look how you left me.”

Lopez’s wife, Fatima Lopez, said her husband’s injuries include a fractured skull and ribs and internal bleeding.

She said the couple’s 7-year-old daughter has been inconsolable after the crash, which has turned the family’s life upside down.

“She cries every day for him. That’s the hardest part,” she said.

A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to the driver’s identity, apprehension and conviction.

Anyone with additional information about the crash or the driver is asked to contact Campos at 213-833-3713 or [email protected] or contact the Central Traffic Division watch commander at 213-833-3746.