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Cudahy Man Wanted In East LA Hit-And-Run That Critically Injured 2

MONTEREY PARK (CBSLA.com) — Authorities are looking for a Cudahy man wanted in connection with a hit-and-run crash that seriously injured two people at a bus stop in East Los Angeles.

Pedro Velasquez, a Cudahy resident in his mid-40s, is believed to be the driver of a white GMC Yukon that injured two people about 5:20 p.m. Wednesday at Atlantic and Whittier boulevards, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officials Say Cudahy Man Allegedly Plowed Into 2 People And Fled The Scene

KNX1070's Megan Goldsby reports Velasquez left his cell phone in the Yukon and that police used the phone to find the man's home. They were at his home when he called his wife and allegedly implicated himself in the crash.

The Yukon had been going east on Whittier at an "unknown high rate of speed" and went through the intersection in the wrong direction, CHP Officer Gerard Diaz said.

The Yukon first struck a 31-year-old woman walking east on the sidewalk, then hit a Metro bus stop shelter and ran over a 56-year-old man from Valley Center. The man became trapped under the SUV and Los Angeles County firefighters had to lift the vehicle to get him out.

Juan Rodriguez told reporters Thursday the 31-year-old woman was his girlfriend -- Sarah Lopez -- and that she is pregnant.

Both victims had major injuries, Diaz said. Both are still listed in critical condition.

Witnesses told police Velasquez was carrying a child or infant in his arms.

The CHP said on Wednesday the Yukon didn't contain a car seat and it was likely the suspect would also be charged with child endangerment.

KCAL9's Suraya Fadel spoke to Velasquez's wife on Thursday.

She made an emotional plea for her husband of nine years to turn himself in. The woman told Fadel she believed the accident could be attributed to a recent eye surgery and that he suffers from low blood sugar. She believes he fell asleep at the wheel.

"He told me he had been in a very bad accident and I asked him if he was okay? He said, 'Yes,' and he said could you come and pick me up, but I was at work."

The man reportedly denied to his wife that he was speeding.

"I don't know what he was thinking," she said, "but it wasn't the best decision."

»RELATED: At Least 2 Injured In Hit-And-Run Crash At East LA Bus Stop

(©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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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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