A man who became entangled in his seat belt and was dragged to his death during a carjacking in Inglewood was identified Friday as a 63-year-old La Habra man.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office has identified the man who died at the horrific scene Thursday afternoon as Larry Walker. After his car was stolen and he was allegedly wanted for a murder and robbery earlier this year in the San Fernando Valley, the victim clung to his seat belt and was dragged more than two miles, police said.
Originally from Georgia, Walker had lived in California for more than 40 years, according to family members. He worked with people with special needs in group homes and day programs, family members said.
The deadly chain of events began while police were conducting a surveillance operation on a robbery and homicide suspect in the 5900 block of 7th Avenue. Detectives observed the man get into the passenger side of the vehicle and leave the area.
A short pursuit ensued after officers tried to get the driver to pull over, police said. The brief chase ended in a crash at Florence and Haas avenues in Inglewood.
“The homicide suspect exited the passenger side and carjacked another car,” police said in a statement. “The homicide suspect took off from Florence Avenue and Haas Avenue dragging the robbery victim.”
The theft victim, entangled in his seat belt, was dragged down the street for more than two miles before being pulled over, police said.
Tina Atkins, who was picking up her children from an after-school program, described a terrifying scene.
“We just saw a car coming right at us with a corpse hanging out of the bottom,” Atkins said. “I jumped the curb with my kids in the car because I didn’t want to get hit.”
Atkins’ car and an undercover police car were hit during the chase.
A carjacking in Inglewood left one person dead after being dragged more than two miles during a chase. Gordon Tokumatsu reports for NBC4 News on October 14, 2022.
The pursuit ended when the driver crashed near East Florence Avenue and North Prairie Avenue, near Edward Vincent Jr. Park. The Jeep turned around, but the man refused to get out, leading to a collision near a cemetery.
A SWAT team responded and the man eventually surrendered nearly two hours later.
The suspect is wanted for murder during the robbery of a jewelry store in the Reseda area. Joshua Reno, 31, was expected to be arraigned on suspicion of murder after being treated for severe facial trauma he suffered during the chase and break-in.
The driver who hit the other car has also been detained, police said.
Reno was wanted for the July 29 robbery and shooting at a tattoo and marijuana shop on Sherman Way near Reseda Boulevard, where two men were shot and a security guard returned fire, according to law enforcement officials. The victims, who survived their gunshot wounds, told police three men had robbed them, and about an hour after the shooting, officers responded to another call in the 18300 block of Saticoy Street in Reseda and found a shooting victim in what considered a jewelry robbery.
The 32-year-old man later died in hospital.
Early Thursday morning, Los Angeles police officers and FBI agents arrested two others suspected of involvement in the July attacks and shootings. Detectives with the Operations Valley Homicide Bureau arrested Derek Hall, 28, of West Covina, and Miracole Brown, 20, of South Los Angeles, on suspicion of robbery and murder. Bail was set at $2 million.
Later that day, a detective obtained a warrant for Renault’s arrest.
A court date was set for Monday.
Court and jail records show Reno was charged Sept. 15 with violating the terms of his post-release community supervision (PRCS) stemming from a previous conviction.
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