Inland Valley

SAN PEDRO — A 51-year-old bicyclist struck and killed by a car in San Pedro whose driver fled was identified Monday by the coroner’s office.

Oscar Montoya was struck about 12:40 a.m. Saturday while riding northbound on Pacific Avenue, just south of Channel Street, by a small, light-colored car that was also going northbound on Pacific Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.

“The collision caused the victim to be ejected from his bicycle and collide with the roadway,” police said. “The vehicle that collided with (the) cyclist fled the scene, did not stop to render aid to the victim, and/or ID themselves.”

Paramedics pronounced Montoya dead at the scene.

The LAPD’s South Traffic Division urged anyone with information about the crash to call them at 323-421-2500 or, after 6 p.m. at 323-421-2560 or 877- 527-3257.

Tipsters can also go to lapdonline.org and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the “Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit an online tip.

SAN PEDRO — A 51-year-old bicyclist struck and killed by a car in San Pedro whose driver fled was identified Monday by the coroner’s office.

Oscar Montoya was struck about 12:40 a.m. Saturday while riding northbound on Pacific Avenue, just south of Channel Street, by a small, light-colored car that was also going northbound on Pacific Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.

“The collision caused the victim to be ejected from his bicycle and collide with the roadway,” police said. “The vehicle that collided with (the) cyclist fled the scene, did not stop to render aid to the victim, and/or ID themselves.”

Paramedics pronounced Montoya dead at the scene.

The LAPD’s South Traffic Division urged anyone with information about the crash to call them at 323-421-2500 or, after 6 p.m. at 323-421-2560 or 877- 527-3257.

Tipsters can also go to lapdonline.org and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the “Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit an online tip.

A Pomona man was sentenced this week to 15 years to life in prison for killing a passenger when he crashed in Pomona while driving drunk and high in 2020.

Javan Clifford Draper, 47, pleaded no contest on Wednesday, Jan. 25, to second-degree murder as well as driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent or more causing injury, said Greg Risling, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Draper was sentenced the same day at Pomona Superior Court.

The case stems from a Feb. 18, 2020, crash, before 2 a.m., in the 2000 block of North Garey Avenue.

Officers found a vehicle in the center divider. Draper and his front passenger were trapped in the vehicle while one passenger was ejected, police said. The front passenger, Anthony Lamar Tucker, 23, of Pomona, died.

Investigators determined that Draper was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and drove south on Garey Avenue at more than 80 mph.

 

A Pomona man was sentenced this week to 15 years to life in prison for killing a passenger when he crashed in Pomona while driving drunk and high in 2020.

Javan Clifford Draper, 47, pleaded no contest on Wednesday, Jan. 25, to second-degree murder as well as driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent or more causing injury, said Greg Risling, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Draper was sentenced the same day at Pomona Superior Court.

The case stems from a Feb. 18, 2020, crash, before 2 a.m., in the 2000 block of North Garey Avenue.

Officers found a vehicle in the center divider. Draper and his front passenger were trapped in the vehicle while one passenger was ejected, police said. The front passenger, Anthony Lamar Tucker, 23, of Pomona, died.

Investigators determined that Draper was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and drove south on Garey Avenue at more than 80 mph.

 

LOS ANGELES — Comedian Jay Leno is on the mend again, this time recovering from a motorcycle accident in Las Vegas that left him with broken ribs and cracked knee caps.

Leno, the former host of “The Tonight Show,” told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he was riding a 1940 Indian motorcycle and was knocked off his bike while riding through a parking lot on Jan. 17. He ended breaking his collarbone, broke two ribs and cracked both kneecaps.

“But I’m OK!” Leno told the Review-Journal in a story published Thursday. “I’m OK, I’m working. I’m working this weekend.”

He told the Review-Journal he was riding the motorcycle and noticed what he said smelled like a fuel leak.

RELATED STORY: Jay Leno released from Grossman Burn Center 9 days after garage fire

“So I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it,” Leno told the Review-Journal. “So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clotheslined me and, boom, knocked me off the bike.”

Leno was burned while working on a car in his garage in Los Angeles in November. He was treated for his injuries from the burns at the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles.

Leno is set to headline at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas on March 31, his first appearance since the November incident.

LOS ANGELES — Comedian Jay Leno is on the mend again, this time recovering from a motorcycle accident in Las Vegas that left him with broken ribs and cracked knee caps.

Leno, the former host of “The Tonight Show,” told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he was riding a 1940 Indian motorcycle and was knocked off his bike while riding through a parking lot on Jan. 17. He ended breaking his collarbone, broke two ribs and cracked both kneecaps.

“But I’m OK!” Leno told the Review-Journal in a story published Thursday. “I’m OK, I’m working. I’m working this weekend.”

He told the Review-Journal he was riding the motorcycle and noticed what he said smelled like a fuel leak.

RELATED STORY: Jay Leno released from Grossman Burn Center 9 days after garage fire

“So I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it,” Leno told the Review-Journal. “So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clotheslined me and, boom, knocked me off the bike.”

Leno was burned while working on a car in his garage in Los Angeles in November. He was treated for his injuries from the burns at the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles.

Leno is set to headline at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas on March 31, his first appearance since the November incident.

A 47-year-old woman who was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run causing death six days after a Jan. 12 collision with a pedestrian in Nuevo is out of custody after posting bail.

Rita Michelle Quintana of Nuevo was booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on Jan. 18 and posted $75,000 bail the next day, county jail records show. The California Highway Patrol announced the arrest on Tuesday, Jan. 24. Quintana has not been charged.

The collision happened at about 7 p.m. on Jan. 12, the CHP said. Quintana was driving a blue Chevrolet Malibu west on Montgomery Avenue north of Nuevo Road when she struck a pedestrian, the CHP said, and fled without stopping.

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Maria Estrada, 38, of Perris.

“Investigating officers were able to identify critical pieces of evidence on scene, which provided leads on a possible suspect vehicle color, make and model,” Officer Javier Navarro, a CHP spokesman, wrote in a news release.

The CHP asked witnesses to call 951-637-8000.

MIAMI — Professional soccer player Anton Walkes has died from injuries he sustained in a boat crash off the coast of Miami, authorities said Thursday.

Walkes, who was 25, was found unconscious and taken to a hospital after the crash between two boats Wednesday near the Miami Marine Stadium basin, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Walkes was operating one of the boats that crashed, the state agency said in a statement.

It was unclear whether anyone else was injured. The agency’s investigation is ongoing.

Walkes, a defender, was entering his second season with MLS club Charlotte FC. The team had arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 9 for its first leg of preseason training and had a friendly scheduled with St. Louis on Saturday. That match has been cancelled.

Charlotte FC owner David Tepper said all at the club were “devastated by the tragic passing of Anton Walkes.”

“He was a tremendous son, father, partner and teammate whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met,” Tepper said in a club statement.

Walkes joined Charlotte for the club’s debut MLS season in 2022. He played in 23 matches with 21 starts and had five shots on goal this past season.

“Anton made those around him better people in all areas of life and represented Charlotte FC to the highest standard both on and off the pitch,” Tepper said.

Fans began laying flowers outside of the east gate of Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Thursday.

Walkes began his career with English Premier League club Tottenham and also played for Portsmouth before signing with Atlanta United in the MLS, where he spent three seasons.

The MLS released a statement saying “there are no words to describe the sorrow of everyone in Major League Soccer today.”

“Anton was a talented and dedicated player who was loved by his teammates and fans,” the statement said.

In 2016, a boat crash off Miami Beach killed Major League Baseball player Jose Fernandez, a star pitcher for the Miami Marlins. Fernandez and two other people died when their 32-foot vessel slammed into a jetty, according to authorities.

Charlotte FC teammate Jaylin Lindsey said he was “heartbroken” to learn of Walkes’ death.

“Fly high my brother, you’re the best teammate I could’ve asked for,” Lindsey Tweeted. “Love you man.”Tottenham Hotspur also tweeted: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former player, Anton Walkes. The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time.”

MIAMI — Professional soccer player Anton Walkes has died from injuries he sustained in a boat crash off the coast of Miami, authorities said Thursday.

Walkes, who was 25, was found unconscious and taken to a hospital after the crash between two boats Wednesday near the Miami Marine Stadium basin, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Walkes was operating one of the boats that crashed, the state agency said in a statement.

It was unclear whether anyone else was injured. The agency’s investigation is ongoing.

Walkes, a defender, was entering his second season with MLS club Charlotte FC. The team had arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 9 for its first leg of preseason training and had a friendly scheduled with St. Louis on Saturday. That match has been cancelled.

Charlotte FC owner David Tepper said all at the club were “devastated by the tragic passing of Anton Walkes.”

“He was a tremendous son, father, partner and teammate whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met,” Tepper said in a club statement.

Walkes joined Charlotte for the club’s debut MLS season in 2022. He played in 23 matches with 21 starts and had five shots on goal this past season.

“Anton made those around him better people in all areas of life and represented Charlotte FC to the highest standard both on and off the pitch,” Tepper said.

Fans began laying flowers outside of the east gate of Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Thursday.

Walkes began his career with English Premier League club Tottenham and also played for Portsmouth before signing with Atlanta United in the MLS, where he spent three seasons.

The MLS released a statement saying “there are no words to describe the sorrow of everyone in Major League Soccer today.”

“Anton was a talented and dedicated player who was loved by his teammates and fans,” the statement said.

In 2016, a boat crash off Miami Beach killed Major League Baseball player Jose Fernandez, a star pitcher for the Miami Marlins. Fernandez and two other people died when their 32-foot vessel slammed into a jetty, according to authorities.

Charlotte FC teammate Jaylin Lindsey said he was “heartbroken” to learn of Walkes’ death.

“Fly high my brother, you’re the best teammate I could’ve asked for,” Lindsey Tweeted. “Love you man.”Tottenham Hotspur also tweeted: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former player, Anton Walkes. The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time.”