Driver Sought in Hit-and-Run That Injured SM Skateboarder

Police were searching Tuesday for a hit-and-run driver who struck a skateboarder and left him for dead in an intersection in Santa Monica.

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Ian Imes, 20, remains hospitalized after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Santa Monica on April 5. (Credit: KTLA)

The collision occurred just before 8 p.m. Saturday, April 5, in the intersection of 17th and Marine streets (map), according to police.

Imes was on his way to a skateboarding park with his friend Ryan Graham when he was hit. The pair was skateboarding downhill on 17th Street when Imes went through the four-way stop at Robson Avenue, according to Graham.

Imes was going about 20 mph, according to the friend he was with, and the vehicle was seen driving going about 15 mph, Moroso said.

The car hit Imes with its front wheels, and then the back tires ran over the skateboarder, said Graham, who ran to his friend's side.

After hitting Imes, the driver stopped momentarily, but drove off without rendering aid, Moroso said.

The young man suffered a broken vertebrae, a lung injury, and multiple scrapes, lacerations, and abrasions, according to police.

Doctors believe it's unlikely he will ever walk again, his mother Cintia Holz said.

Anyone with information was urged to contact Santa Monica Police Department at 310-395-9931.