A vigil was held Sunday night to honor a 31-year-old man who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while rollerblading in the Westside neighborhood of Sawtelle.
The collision occurred Friday around 8:38 p.m. in the 2100 block of South Bundy Drive near Olympic Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Witnesses told police the driver of a black Dodge Durango SUV was traveling west on Olympic when he struck Jonathan Gonzalez, who was also heading west on Olympic near Bundy, police said.
The suspect drove away from the scene after briefly stopping, according to police.
Gonzalez died at the scene.
“He was en route to the Santa Monica Friday Night Skate where I was that night,” said Dan Benveniste, a friend of the victim. “He never made it there. He was skating there, I think, from West Hollywood. It’s beyond tragic.”
Friends and supporters gathered at the site of the collision Sunday evening where a special memorial was created featuring new and used rollerblade wheels signed with condolences and messages like, “Skate on friend. You’ll never be forgotten.”