Carjacking victim killed after being dragged under his vehicle in South L.A. is identified as 24-year-old man
The man believed to be responsible for an alleged vehicular homicide in South L.A. in the San Fernando Valley early Wednesday morning has been identified as Michael Edward Lutz, 48, according to authorities.
The victim, whose identity has not been made public, was pulled under a black Hyundai Sonata when the driver of the vehicle attempted to steal the vehicle at around 2 a.m. Wednesday, according to LAPD.
Lutz, whom police said was at the time driving the car, was driving at an accelerated rate of speed when he ran a red light at La Colonia, and crashed into a bus stopped at a traffic light, according to authorities.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said the bus, driven by a passenger, was parked and facing forward when two men approached it from behind and attacked it with a 4 by 4-foot (1 by 1.2 meters) piece of metal, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle, officials said.
He then began running southbound on Alameda Street as the bus was driving in the wrong direction toward the 405 Freeway and Highway 17, according to officials.
The driver of the bus was able to stop the vehicle, but the two men grabbed the driver and dragged him under the vehicle until he fell to the ground.
The bus driver, a 32-year-old man, was taken to the hospital in serious condition with multiple injuries, officials said.
Lutz, meanwhile, was airlifted to a hospital with unknown injuries, officials said.
Lizette Valdes, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, said prosecutors were reviewing their investigation into the incident, which police began investigating within minutes of the crash.
“This is an ongoing investigation with the District Attorney’s Office and detectives working with the LAPD,” Valdes said, indicating that the case is considered unsolved at this time.
“This case is