LAPD: Manslaughter Suspect Ran To Mexico

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Age-enhanced sketch of Christian Herrera.

On March 22, 1992, four friends braved the light drizzling rain and headed to the seaside Southern California town of San Pedro. Frederick Crescitelli, an 83-year-old former USC professor, and his wife, Enza Crescitelli, 78, dined at an Italian restaurant at the corner of 4th Street and Pacific with their friends, Joan and Eugene Pollack. After supper, the foursome left the restaurant and walked towards their car.

Eugene was walking about ten feet ahead of the others when he crossed 4th Street at an unmarked crosswalk. He looked back at the group just as a white Camaro sped southbound on Pacific Ave. towards his wife and their friends.

The car never slowed down, witnesses said, before running the three friends over in the middle of the road. Authorities say Eugene told them that the driver never tried to stop or render aid to the victims. Cops say the speed limit for that street was 35 miles per hour, and that all street lights were working at the time of the accident.

A witness who lived near the accident scene heard the crash and looked out his window to see the three victims lying in the street. He told cops that he went downstairs and encountered a witness pointing at a white Camaro, parked nearly a block away.

Cops say that witness -- who has never been identified -- claimed that the suspect driving the white car ran the victims over, then parked down the street. Police say he memorized the license plate number and noticed that the Camaro's front end was damaged.

Cops say another witness, driving westbound on 5th Street, recalled seeing a white Firebird or Camaro stopped in the middle of the street.  The witness claims he saw four Hispanic males get out of the car and run away; the witness recognized one of the suspects as being from the neighborhood.  Cops recovered the abandoned vehicle seven days after the incident in an alley in San Pedro.

Cops: Passengers ID The Driver

Frederick Crescitelli was pronounced dead at the scene and cops say his wife, Enza, died from her injuries a day later.  Joan Pollack survived the accident, and was transported to Harbor General hospital, where police say she was treated for two broken legs, multiple scalp lacerations, and a fractured arm.

After reviewing the license plate number, cops say they were able to determine who owned the Camaro, but when detectives interviewed the owner, he told cops that he had loaned the car to his brother, 20-year-old Christian Faustino Lopez Herrera.

Detectives say everyone in the car confirmed that Christian Herrera was driving the white Camaro that night, killing two people and leaving another handicapped.

16 years later, an AMW tipster called to provide the clues cops needed to crack this cold case. Police say Christian Herrera was apprehended on August 8, 2008, in the same community where his alleged crimes occurred.

AMW Capture #1047

Fugitive Busted By AMW Tipster And Cops

1992 hit and run suspect Christian Faustino Lopez Herrera has been captured thanks to the help of one of AMW’s fearless tipsters and the valiant work of law enforcement in Los Angeles.