On Dec.27, 2021, at approximately 7:20 a.m., officers responded to the intersection of Los Coyotes Diagonal and Carson Street regarding an injury traffic collision which resulted in the death of a male adult.
The reporting parties indicated two pedestrians had been struck by a vehicle. Upon arrival, officers located two adult males in the roadway, one of which was unresponsive and suffering from life-threatening injuries. Officers rendered lifesaving aid until Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived on the scene; the Los Angeles County Fire Department also responded and transported the injured parties to a local hospital.
Through their preliminary investigation, detectives learned the pedestrians were walking southbound across Carson Street in a marked crosswalk when they were struck by a 2020 Hyundai Sonata that had made a left turn onto Carson Street from northbound Los Coyotes Diagonal. One of the pedestrians sustained minor injuries, while the other sustained significant injuries to his upper body.
At this time, neither speed, distracted driving, nor impaired driving is believed to be a factor in this collision.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 75-year-old resident of Long Beach, remained on the scene and cooperated with the investigation.
The pedestrians involved were a 73-year-old resident of Long Beach and his 83-year-old relative, a resident of Lakewood.
On Dec. 31, 2021, detectives were notified the 83-year-old pedestrian Larry Koepke, a resident of the City of Lakewood, had succumbed to his injuries on Dec. 28, 2021, at the hospital.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Long Beach Police Department Collision Investigation Detective Joseph Johnson or Detective Kelsey Myers at (562)570-7355. Anonymous tips may be submitted through "LA Crime Stoppers" by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the "P3 TIPS" app to your smartphone (available at the Apple App Store and Google Play), or visiting www.LACrimeStoppers.org.