Senior hit, killed by 19 year-old driver

A 78 year-old Arcadia man was struck and killed by a car driven by a 19 year-old Arcadia man Wednesday night, April 16. The man and another 76 year-old man were crossing south across Huntington Drive east of Baldwin Avenue near the Westfield Santa Anita mall about 9 p.m. Two things were not in their favor: they were crossing in a diagonal path well outside the pedestrian crossing and the traffic signal light at the unique intersection was not working due to a power outage in the area that began hours earlier.

The media release issued by Arcadia Police Department Wednesday: On Wednesday April 16, 2014, at about 9:13 PM, Arcadia Police Officers and Arcadia Fire Paramedics responded to an injury traffic collision at the intersection of Gate 1 of the Westfield Santa Anita mall and Huntington Drive. Two adult men were treated at the scene and transported to Huntington Memorial Hospital. Unfortunately, Fu Zhou, a 78-year-old man from Arcadia, later passed away as a result of the injuries he sustained in the collision. The second man, Zen Zao, 76-years-old from Arcadia, sustained moderate injuries.

Looking westbound on Huntington Drive at Gate 1 from crosswalk.

Preliminary investigation revealed the two adult men were walking from the northwest corner of the intersection in a southeast direction across Westbound Huntington Drive, well outside of the designated north/south crosswalk on the east side of the intersection. The intersection is normally controlled by a lighted traffic signal, but the traffic signal was not working at the time of this collision due to a power outage affecting the area.

The driver of the vehicle, Brandon Gutierrez, a 19-year-old man from Arcadia, who stopped at the scene of the collision, is not being held.

The cause of the collision is under investigation by the Arcadia Police Department Major Accident Investigation Team. Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at (626) 574-5151, case #14-1934. If you prefer to provide information ANONYMOUSLY, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800- 222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the tip web page at Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers

— By Scott Hettrick