Driver takes off after hit-and-run crash kills man and baby in Playa del Rey, LAPD says

PLAYA DEL REY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver accused of crashing into a car in Playa del Rey, killing a man and his 1-year-old baby nephew.

The crash also injured two other people, who were taken to the hospital in critical condition. It happened just after 4:30 a.m. on Sunday at Vista Del Mar and Culver Boulevard.

Police said a white Jeep collided with a blue sedan at the intersection. The driver of the white Jeep fled the scene and remains on the run.

A witness captured the aftermath of the crash. The video appears to show the driver frantically running away from the scene.

Now, a memorial honoring the victims' lives is growing near the scene.

At the memorial, Elsa, a friend of the crash victims, pleaded for the driver to come forward.

"Please turn yourself in," she said in Spanish.

"You kind of knew how bad it was because those screams -- you can't deny it. It was so hard to hear," said Michael Moloney, who lives nearby.

It's a familiar sound for Moloney as he woke up Sunday morning. He says people often drive too fast in the neighborhood.

"They come down that hill, and they hit it, and they think they're cool. I hear screeches all the time, and there's a lot of close calls, but that one was too close for comfort," Moloney said.

Video from the aftermath of the crash shows car parts scattered across the intersection at Vista Del Mar and Culver Boulevard.

Police say the driver of the white Jeep ran away, while several victims inside the blue sedan were suffering.

A 25-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, and a 1-year-old baby died at the hospital. Loved ones at the scene said the victims were an uncle and nephew.

"That little baby was always happy, always with a smile," Elsa said.

Elsa says the boy's father and aunt remain in the hospital. She says the group was visiting the beach and was on their way back to Van Nuys when they were struck.

Neighbors say they are frustrated, but are not sure what can be done to prevent crashes in the area.

"It's just not right," said neighbor Polly Rose. "People just need to slow down. They need to be considerate."

Relatives of the victims grieved at the memorial by the crash site. They told Eyewitness News they were too distraught to talk on camera.

Anyone with information on the driver who ran away is urged to call police.