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Hit-And-Run Crash That Killed Bicyclist Investigated As Homicide

WOODLAND HILLS (CBSLA.com) — Two bicyclists were struck, one of them fatally, in a hit-and-run crash that police say was intentional.

Homicide detectives have taken over the investigation of a crash was reported just before 1 a.m. Wednesday on Winnetka Avenue near Gilmore Street.

The cyclists, both men in their 40s, were on their way home from their jobs at a Ventura Boulevard restaurant as they rode north on Winnetka when a vehicle struck them, according to the driver of a white pickup truck that witnessed the crash. The truck was later captured on security cameras.

The witness told police that the bicyclists were following the rules of the road as they crossed over to the other side when the utility truck driver ran them down.

"I think it's really sad because I know that people on this street go way too fast," Susan Lilly said. "They don't give the bicyclysts the right of way and they need to be aware of that."

The two men were taken to a hospital, where one of the men was declared dead. The other remained conscious, police said.

Winnetka was closed between Victory and Vanowen during the police investigation.

The suspect truck was described as a late-1990s model white Ford or Chevrolet "utility style" pickup with toolboxes on the side and possible front-end damage. The driver was described as a white man in his late 30s or early 40s, with "close cropped" hair on his head and facial hair.

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