“We are desperately looking for individuals to come forward with either knowledge of the suspect, or for the suspect to turn themselves in,” said police Lt. Gary Montecuollo of the department’s traffic bureau. “It’s a very tragic thing. We just really need the public’s help in this.”
Police officials have dedicated significant time and effort to following up leads on the case, including a Friday evening checkpoint near the site of the accident, Montecuollo said.
While police have followed up on about a dozen leads, police said there has not been enough information to identify a suspect.
Police Chief Ron DePompa said officials were in a similar position in 2007 when the City Council and Board of Supervisors allocated similar rewards of $10,000 each to help find the responsible driver for the hit-and-run death of 24-year-old Elizabeth Sandoval.
“That reward money helped us to generate the information that ultimately brought the driver to justice,” he said.
The driver, Ara Grigoryan, who fled to Mexico after striking Sandoval while she jaywalked across South Glendale Avenue, was eventually sentenced to 11 years in prison.
DePompa said finding the driver who caused Lee’s death was especially important to ensure accountability for inappropriate driving behavior in a city that has struggled with pedestrian safety issues.
“My office initiated this $10,000 reward to provide a financial incentive for anyone with information on this crime to step forward,” Antonovich said in an e-mail.
Council members also expressed hope that the driver would be found.
“I hope that it helps,” Councilwoman Laura Friedman said. “This is a terrible tragedy.”
