PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — A traffic investigator with the Santa Monica Police Department said Monday it could take at least four weeks to determine if charges whould be filed against a driver who killed a 66-year-old man last week as he was crossing Wilshire Boulevard.
Santa Monica Police Department Traffic Investigator Chris Dawson said an investigation typically takes longer than four to six weeks. He is waiting for word from the coroner to conclude his report and that can take nearly a month, Dawson said.
The accident, the first deadly collision of 2010, occurred on Dec. 23 around 9 p.m. Police said a 19-year-old man struck Santa Monican Herceg Vlado as he was walking south across Wilshire in a crosswalk near 10th Street. The vehicle was traveling westbound.
Vlado was treated by Santa Monica firefighters at the scene and then transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Dawson is asking for the public for help with the investigation. Witnesses are urged to call Dawson at (310) 458-8954 or the Watch Commander at (310) 458-8495.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
