[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap] motorist who allegedly struck and killed a cyclist in South Los Angeles drove away from the scene under pressure from her passengers and later attempted to cover up the crime by crudely painting the vehicle, police and reports say.
The LAPD on Thursday (June 7) announced the arrest of 23-year-old Mariah Kandise Banks in the horrific hit-and-run death of South L.A. man Frederick Frazier, known as WOON to friends, who was 22. Banks allegedly hit Frazier as he rode his bicycle on Normandie and Manchester avenues on April 10. The force of the collision was so strong it broke his bike in two pieces.
The white Porsche Cayenne SUV that hit him did not stop and render aid. The day after, during a gathering to remember Frazier and demand more safety on the streets, another driver allegedly drove through the crowd of cyclists and pedestrians, striking and seriously injuring one man.
An arrest was also made in that incident, police said last week; 19-year-old Alana Ealy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder for April 11 incident. Ealy posted bail, according to StreetsBlogLA.
LAPD Det. Ryan Moreno, who announced the arrest in Frazier’s death, said at a press conference that many tipsters reached out and offered information that helped locate Banks. Moreno said the vehicle was taken to a home in Moreno Valley, where it was found to have been covered in “a real cheap paint job, like they had used a brush or spray painted it.”