The arrest came nearly a month after the September 30 crash at 69th Street and South Central Avenue, police said.
LOS ANGELES, CA - October 21, 2026
Police have arrested a 29-year-old driver they accuse of striking and killing an 83-year-old pedestrian in South Los Angeles and then leaving the scene. The pedestrian, Akil Saud Batani-Khalfani, known to loved ones as Bird, died at the scene.
Key Facts
- Date: September 30 (crash); arrest announced October 20, 2026
- Location: Intersection of 69th Street and South Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
- Type of crash: Pedestrian struck; driver accused of hit-and-run
- Vehicles involved: Dark blue four-door sedan, reported as owned by FedEx
- Injuries / fatalities: One fatality (pedestrian)
- Responding agencies: Los Angeles Police Department; Los Angeles Fire Department
- Reported by: CBS News
Crash Overview
Police were called to the intersection around 8:45 p.m. on September 30 after learning of a crash involving a pedestrian. Officers said Batani-Khalfani, 83, was crossing the street when a dark blue four-door sedan traveling through the intersection hit him. Paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed his death at the scene. Police said the driver did not stop to help and kept driving.
Following an investigation that lasted nearly a month, LAPD detectives arrested John Anthony Cardenas, 29, near his workplace in Carson. Detectives later executed a search warrant at his home and impounded a vehicle they said was involved in the crash. According to police, Cardenas faced a suspicion of hit-and-run involving a death, and he was kept in custody on $1 million bail.
Community members held a vigil in the days after the death to honor Batani-Khalfani, who had lived in the area since the 1940s. He was known as a community leader, historian, author and neighborhood advocate. His daughter, D'ixara Batani-Khalfani, said he had 15 children. Mayor Karen Bass said her office had been in contact with the family and had connected them with services.