Lancaster man charged in downtown LA fatal hit and run

Authorities have publicly identified the suspect in the hit-and-run death of a bicyclist in downtown Los Angeles as Ronald Earl Kenebrew Jr. of Lancaster.

The 36-year-old is accused of stealing a pickup truck and then colliding with a bicycle ridden by Branden Finley and killing him, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The incident began around 7:50 a.m. on Jan. 16 when Kenebrew allegedly stole a white 2010 Toyota Tacoma in the 900 block of Wilshire Boulevard. The owner of the vehicle was making a delivery and left the truck running. Kenebrew asked for a ride, and when the owner refused, Kenebrew jumped inside and locked the doors, police said.

The owner climbed onto the bed of the pickup truck and tried to get Kenebrew to come out, but instead, Kenebrew kept driving, prompting the owner to jump from his own vehicle, police said. The pickup weaved in and out of traffic, and as it approached Olive Street, it hit Finley, who landed on the pickup’s hood before falling off near Hill Street, police said.

Finley, 46 and a father of two, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. He was on his way to meet friends for a morning bicycle ride when he was killed, ABC7 reported.

The pickup later collided with two cars. Kenebrew then abandoned the vehicle, police said. Video surveillance cameras captured Kenebrew’s image, which the Los Angeles Police Department released to the public. LAPD investigators recovered DNA evidence from the scene, which allowed them to identify Kenebrew as the suspect on May 11.

Kenebrew has been in Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department custody since Feb. 11 on a robbery charge in Lancaster, police said. He is now charged with carjacking, felony hit and run, and murder in connection with the Jan. 16 incident, according to the LAPD.

Kenebrew is being held at the Los Angeles County Jail with bail set at $2.2 million.

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