Hit and run driver drops license plate

DOWNEY - The Downey Police Department apprehended a 73-year-old male suspected of a hit-and-run accident on Second Street on Dec. 18.Street Sweeper Enforcement Officer Andrea Larsen was in the course of writing a citation for an illegally parked Ford Ranger when the owner of the vehicle jumped in the truck, struck another truck while turning around, and sped off. The police were able to stop the driver within minutes because his license plate fell off at the scene of the accident. "He said in his statement that he was trying to avoid the ticket and fled the scene because he was afraid of the police," said Downey Police Department Traffic Sgt. Dean Milligan. "He was afraid because he didn't have insurance." The driver was found stopped at the corner of Paramount Boulevard and Stewart and Gray Road where he was arrested for driving at an unsafe speed, the hit and run collision, and failure to maintain insurance on his vehicle. He was also given his parking citation. The struck pickup truck sustained moderate damage to the rear portion of the vehicle. "If convicted, he could get probation and a substantial fine - assuming this is his first offense," Milligan said. "It's definitely going to cost him far more than if he had just paid the $30.50 parking ticket." ********** Published: January 2, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 37