Los Angeles police have arrested a hit-and-run driver who allegedly fatally struck an 83-year-old South Los Angeles community icon in September.
In a news release shared Tuesday, October 20, LAPD detectives said that 29-year-old John Anthony Cardenas was arrested near his place of work in Carson following an investigation that spanned nearly a month after the deadly crash on September 30.
Police were called to the intersection of 69th Street and South Central Avenue at around 8:45 p.m. that day upon learning of a crash involving a pedestrian. Upon arrival, they learned that 83-year-old Akil Saud Batani-Khalfani, known by loved ones as Bird, was walking across the street when he was allegedly struck by a dark blue four-door sedan driving through the intersection. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Instead of stopping to help Batani-Khalfani, police alleged that Cardenas continued driving, fleeing the scene of the hit-and-run crash.
After Cardenas was arrested, LAPD Central Traffic Division detectives executed a search warrant at his home, where they located and impounded the vehicle that was allegedly involved in the deadly crash. He was booked on suspicion of hit-and-run resulting in death and was held in lieu of $1 million bail, police said.
In the days following Batani-Khalfani's death, community members held a vigil to honor the man who had lived in the area since the 1940s.
"For him to be taken from, you know, what he wanted; he wanted to die in his home, and that would've been okay with me," said D'ixara Batani-Khalfani, Bird's daughter and one of 15 children he left behind. "But for him to be taken from out on these streets? That's not okay. Not okay with me at all."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also shared a statement after his death, calling him a community leader, historian, author and neighborhood advocate.
"His loss is felt deeply by his family and the many people whose lives he touched. My heart is with his children, grandchildren, and loved ones as they mourn this devastating loss," Bass' statement said. "My office has been in communication with Bird's family and has connected them with services."
As LAPD detectives continue investigating the crash, anyone with more information was urged to contact Central Traffic Division Investigator A. Leon at 213-833-3713.
