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Police Get Possible Break In Hit-And-Run That Injured Bicyclist

BOYLE HEIGHTS (CBSLA) — Police might have gotten a new clue in their search for a driver who seriously injured a bicyclist after striking him in Silver Lake last week.

Since police released the jarring video that shows the driver of a Mini Cooper striking a bicyclist head-on before driving away last Friday night, they have been looking for the driver that sent 57-year-old David Molina to the hospital with multiple broken bones.

"All of a sudden, I just see the Mini Cooper slam into the bicyclist, and that's when I stood up and said, "Oh my god, that car's at my shop,'" George, the owner of Route 66 Collision Center in Glendale, said.

George, who did not want his last name shared, said after watching Tuesday night's KCAL9 newscast he knew that the Mini Cooper brought to his shop Saturday morning was involved in the crash.

"She, whoever the person was that came and brought the vehicle in, said it was vandalized," George said. "They said they woke up in the morning and saw the vehicle vandalized."

Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department said they believe this was the car involved in the hit-and-run based on the damage they saw in the video. They said the owner of the Mini Cooper is a woman who works at Los Angeles Unified School District, which a detective said the district confirmed.

The woman was not cooperating with investigators and has retained an attorney, a detective said.

George said he hopes police are able to identify who was driving the car when it struck Molina.

"I just wanted to help out and whenever I saw the bicyclist, the picture of him in the hospital, I just wouldn't want that to happen to my loved ones or friends or anybody," George said.

A statement from the car owner's attorney said, "I would be very careful about any names being used if charges have not been filed yet."

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run was asked to call LAPD.

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