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City Councilman Buscaino Proposes 'Standing Reward' Motion For Hit-And-Run Crimes

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — City Councilman Joe Buscaino proposed a motion Thursday offering standing monetary rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of drivers who flee the scene of an accident.

The motion calls for a $1,000 reward for collisions resulting in property damage, $25,000 for those that cause bodily injury and $50,000 for the collisions that result in death.

Currently, the City Council must approve hit-and-run rewards on a case-by-case basis.

Buscaino said there are 20,000 annual cases of hit-and-run accidents logged by the Los Angeles Police Department.

He also called for a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the death of 26-year-old Manuel Ayala, the father of a 4-year-old girl, who was struck while crossing the Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington on Sept. 19.

"Regardless of circumstances, a motorist should never ever leave another human being to die on the street while driving away. My motion creates a permanent reward for all hit-and-run crimes in the city. RIP Manny," Buscaino said on his Facebook page.

Assemblymember Mike Gatto authored a bill that doubles the statute of limitations for hit-and-runs from three to six years. AB 184 is currently awaiting the governor's signature.

Standing reward programs are already in place for illegal dumping, graffiti and vandalism crimes.

RELATED STORY: Family Searching For Leads After Young Father Killed In Hit-And-Run

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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