(L.A.) Francisco Gonzalez, 65, Died on a Street

Case Number: 2023-14541

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 65-year-old Latino male that occurred on a street.

The coroner’s office has identified the man as Francisco Gonzalez.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Multiple Blunt Traumatic Injuries

RIP FRANCISCO GONZALEZ (August 17, 1958 – October 24, 2023)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Tuesday at 9:03 a.m.

The decedent was a bicyclist who was killed when he was dragged by a van for nearly a mile in the southeast Los Angeles area.

Gonzalez was hit by the vehicle at around 9 a.m. as he was crossing near 115th Street and the vehicle was traveling southbound on Broadway.

He became lodged onto the undercarriage of the van, which continued southbound, turning down several city streets for approximately one mile until he became dislodged at Broadway and El Segundo Boulevard.

Police arrested Felipe Avalos, 66, in Compton on Tuesday and booked him on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter.

South Traffic Division detectives located surveillance video that captured the collision and images of the suspect’s vehicle, later identified as an older model Chevy Astro van.

While interviewing witnesses, detectives obtained a possible license plate of the suspect’s vehicle. They conducted a series of follow-ups and located the suspect’s van parked in the driveway of a residence in the city of Compton.

While monitoring the suspect’s van, an older male Hispanic matching the description of the suspect, exited the residence and entered the van. South Traffic Division detectives took the suspect into custody without incident.