BikinginLA

Go ahead and call it murder.

The Long Beach Police Department is.

According to multiple reports, 29-year old Long Beach resident Leobardo Cervantes died last Saturday, after he was intentionally run down by a hit-and-run driver earlier this month.

Cervantes was riding his bike near California Ave and Harding Street in Long Beach just before 8 am on Sunday, July 9, when police say he was struck by a speeding driver traveling east on Harding.

He was rushed to a local hospital with severe injuries, where he died 13 days later.

There’s no word on just how or where the crash occurred, or why LBPD investigators concluded the driver deliberately struck Cervantes.

Police are looking for the driver of a dark-colored sedan, who fled east on Harding. Unfortunately, there’s no description of the driver, or any other information about the suspect vehicle at this time.

Nor is there any word on a motive for the crash.

Anyone with information is urged to contact LBPD Homicide Detectives Donald Collier or Chasen Contreras at 562/570-7244, or anonymously through Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at 800/222-8477.

It’s worth noting that Long Beach police could have issued a hit-and-run alert using California’s Yellow Alert system within minutes of the crash, rather than waiting for more than two weeks until the victim dies, and trail went cold.

And despite what the CHP states, the system is not limited to fatal crashes.

This is at least the 27th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County; it’s also the third fatal hit-and-run involving someone on a bicycle in Long Beach since the first of the year — and the second just this month.

And it’s at least the tenth fatal hit-and-run involving a SoCal bike rider this year.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Leobardo Cervantes and all his loved ones.