Los Al Teen Driver Hits, Kills Cyclist

Police say a 19-year-old driver from Los Alamitos struck and killed a 50-year-old Long Beach woman who was riding her bike across Bellflower Boulevard Tuesday.

New information released by the Long Beach Police Department Wednesday stated that the bicyclist was crossing Bellflower just outside the crosswalk and against a red light.

The woman, 50, was not named pending the notification of relatives, said Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt via an e-mailed press release. 

Late Wednesday night, the L.A. County Coroner's Office said her family had not been reached, so Patch is withholding her name.

As she rode west on Atherton and on the north side of the street, she entered the intersection "on a solid red light" and was struck by a Honda Odyssey, which had the right-of-way, Pratt wrote in the release.

The accident occured about 7:40 p.m. Tuesday, and left the woman in the roadway, where the Odyssey van driver tried to aid her and called 9-1-1, Pratt said. The van driver was a 19-year-old Los Alamitos resident who was interviewed, and not cited. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but died about four hours later.

Police asked that anyone with information about the crash contact Long Beach Police Accident Investigation Detective Brian Watt at (562) 570-7355. Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling   1-800-222-TIPS (8477), texting TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or visitingwww.lacrimestoppers.org.