Raju Dewitt

Raju Dewitt was a 60 year old man from the Los Angeles area who died on October 18, 2026, after being struck by a hit and run driver while walking in a marked crosswalk in the Chatsworth neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley. He had not previously been a public figure, and little about his life, family or work has been confirmed in reporting. He became the subject of national attention only through the manner of his death, which authorities have treated as a criminal hit and run investigation.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the collision happened in the early hours of Sunday, October 18, at the intersection of De Soto Avenue and Lassen Street. Police said Dewitt was walking inside a marked crosswalk when he was hit by an SUV, possibly a black BMW, that was travelling southbound on De Soto Avenue. The Los Angeles County coroner's office formally identified him the following day, describing him as a 60 year old man, and a separate local report similarly described the victim as a man in his 60s. Earlier wire reports, filed before his identity was confirmed, had mistakenly described the victim as a man in his 30s, a discrepancy that was resolved once the coroner released his name and age.

Witnesses and police accounts indicate that the driver briefly stopped the vehicle along the curb just south of Lassen Street after the impact, but then fled the scene heading south without identifying themselves, calling for help or rendering aid, as required under California law. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene and pronounced Dewitt dead there. The Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division took over the investigation and appealed to the public, particularly to any motorists who had been travelling southbound on De Soto Avenue north of Lassen Street around the time of the crash, to come forward with information.

Dewitt's death added to a string of pedestrian and traffic fatalities reported in the Chatsworth and wider San Fernando Valley area in 2026, and local coverage noted the case alongside other recent crashes on De Soto Avenue. As of the time of this report, the driver of the SUV had not been identified or apprehended, and police had released only a general description of the vehicle as a dark colored, possibly black, BMW SUV.

Because Dewitt was a private individual rather than a public figure, detailed biographical information, including his occupation, education, family circumstances and hometown, has not been made public. Reputable local outlets that covered the crash and the coroner's identification did not report on his personal or professional life, and no family statement or public tribute had been published by the time this page was written. This page will be updated as additional confirmed details become available.