Hawthorne, CA : Woman killed, man injured in suspected Hawthorne hit-and-run crash on Sunday, 14th July 2019

A woman was killed and a man was seriously injured when a driver suspected of driving under the influence struck them as they were crossing a Hawthorne street early Sunday.

Richard Marlin Merritt, 42, of Hawthorne, was found a few blocks away and arrested after police said he hit the two victims as they were walking eastbound across Prairie Avenue, in between 129th and 130th streets, at around 1:44 a.m.

Witnesses at the scene found the woman on the ground and said she was not breathing, police said in a written statement. They said driver was headed northbound on Prairie immediately before the crash and continued after hitting the two victims. Police have not said whether the driver stopped.

Lt. Joel Romero said police found the car “parked around the corner” at Merritt’s home. He said the car, which was registered to Merritt, showed “significant front end damage.”

The woman who was hit was declared dead at the scene. The man was transported to Harbor General Hospital.

Police said Merritt was driving drunk at the time of the crash. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit-and-run, both felonies.

Merritt is being held in the Hawthorne Police jail on $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in court at the LAX Superior Courthouse on Tuesday.

After police responded to the crash scene, a pick up truck traveling southbound on Prairie Avenue crashed into a police cruiser that was blocking traffic. Hawthorne police said in the statement that the truck sustained heavy damage, but that no one was seriously injured.

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