A Gardena woman who was dealing with a non-injury car accident in Hawthorne, was killed by a suspected drunk driver who crashed his vehicle into hers, police officials said.
Tanika Jelks, 34, of Gardena was attending to a car accident around 2:25 a.m. Sunday in the 12100 block of Prairie Avenue, when another motorist slammed into her car, authorities said. She died at the scene, according to the coroner’s office and as reported in the Daily Breeze.
A Gardena woman who was dealing with a non-injury car accident in Hawthorne, was killed by a suspected drunk driver who crashed his vehicle into hers, police officials said.
Tanika Jelks, 34, of Gardena was attending to a car accident around 2:25 a.m. Sunday in the 12100 block of Prairie Avenue, when another motorist slammed into her car, authorities said. She died at the scene, according to the coroner’s office and as reported in the Daily Breeze.
Hawthorne police said Edvin Tautiu, 24, of Hawthorne was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit and run, and driving under the influence of alcohol. His bail was set at $50,000 and was to appear Tuesday in the Airport courthouse in del Aire.
Two males acting as good Samaritans at the crime scene, whose identities were not released, were also struck by the suspected drunk driver. One suffered major injuries and the other minor injuries, and both were transported to a nearby hospital. There was no report of their conditions.
Jelks was driving south on Prairie Avenue when her vehicle hit an unoccupied parked car. Her vehicle was stopped in the No. 2 lane of Prairie and the parked car was knocked partially onto the sidewalk,” Hawthorne police Lt. Aimee Yoshida told the Breeze.
A vehicle with three males pulled over to offer assistance. Two of the males exited the vehicle, while the driver stayed in the car, according to Yoshida.
Then another motorist heading south crashed into Jelks’ car and the Good Samaritans’ vehicle, whose driver also received minor injuries.
Yoshida said that Tautiu allegedly abandoned his vehicle and fled the scene. He was later found and arrested.
