‘You left my dad to die’: Driver who fled scene after hitting cyclist in South L.A. wanted by police

Los Angeles police are searching for the driver of a vehicle that hit a cyclist in South L.A. last month and then fled the scene.

The victim’s daughter said her father was just blocks away from home when he was struck.

“The person that did this, you left my dad to die. You left him with bleeding on his brain, broken ribs, a collapsed lung, you left him with a severe spinal injury and you did not stop,” the victim’s daughter, Kenisha Coleman, told KTLA’s Kimberly Cheng.

Surveillance video released by LAPD South Traffic Detectives shows the victim, 63-year-old Kennedy Coleman, riding a bicycle on Hoover Street near 79th Street on Sept. 2, just before 10:30 p.m.

Coleman was riding his bike home after picking up medicine for his daughter, his family says.

“It looks like he came off the curb on his bike and must’ve lost balance and fell onto the roadway,” said LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno from the South Traffic Division.

The video shows a car stopped at a red light. Detectives say the driver then goes through the intersection.

“Proceeded forward through the green light … ran over Coleman,” Moreno said.

Investigators say the driver dragged Coleman a few feet before he became dislodged from the car. Other cars and witnesses were in the area, and one driver stopped to help, but the suspect took off without rendering aid.

“To me, that’s not a hit-and-run. That was attempted murder in my eyes,” said Kenisha Coleman. “The person had the sense to stop at that red light. It’s lights all around my dad. I could see him clearly.”

“The suspect’s vehicle basically illuminates Mr. Coleman while he’s down in the roadway. So for the suspect to continue forward without turning or avoiding him or stopping is kind of weird. We don’t know what the reason is,” Moreno said.

Coleman survived but suffered serious injuries and remains hospitalized.

“He’s opening his eyes, but as far as the prognosis for his brain, that’s still in the air,” said Kenisha. “They didn’t take his life. God has him covered.”

The family is holding on to faith that he’ll pull through and is urging the person responsible to do the right thing and turn themselves in. The family, Kenisha says, has already been through so much.

“My dad is the strongest man I know,” Kenisha said. “He dealt with the loss of his son, he dealt with the loss of his wife a couple months ago, my mom literally just passed May 3 of this year. And now we can’t even really grieve my mom because of this situation. I’m very angry.”

Police say there is a $25,000 reward being offered for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.

Authorities believe the suspect vehicle is a red sedan, possibly from the Baldwin Hills area.

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