A representative from the California Highway Patrol Newhall-area Office indicated Thursday the agency has not made an arrest in the investigation into a Feb. 27 fatal hit-and-run crash.
Alejandro Covarrubias, 22, of Altadena, was stopped completely on the right shoulder on the southbound lanes of Interstate 5, “near the 2,000-foot level, due to an apparent flat tire on the driver side of his Toyota Corolla,” according to an officer’s report.
The preliminary information indicated he pulled over around 11:22 p.m. to fix the flat tire and, “While outside of his vehicle, tending to the flat tire, a white, tractor-trailer combination, drove onto the shoulder as it passed, striking victim Covarrubias and his vehicle,” according to the CHP report from the crash in a request to search for any cameras found, as well as the Corolla’s black box.
The driver of the tractor-trailer combination did not stop and subsequently fled the scene, according to the officer’s report.
The responding officers said they found a man, later identified as Covarrubias, lying on the right shoulder.
The nearest off-ramp for the remote location was Templin Highway. Fire Department officials reported that their call time was 11:26 p.m. and the time on the scene was 11:45 p.m.
Covarrubias’ sister told about her brother’s heart-wrenching final moments in a previous phone interview with The Signal, relaying an account provided by Covarrubias’ girlfriend, who had been in the car with him.
“He held out his hand and grabbed her while he was struggling to breathe. And (his girlfriend) said that, it looked like he wanted to say something, and then he passed. She was able to call 911, and have a patrol show up, and he was already gone by that time,” according to Covarrubias’ sister, Ana Iscoa.
The first responders who arrived declared Covarrubias deceased at the scene.
Investigators noted that there were not a lot of signs of the suspect available after the collision. “Officers circulated the area and were unable to locate any other involved vehicles,” according to a CHP report. “Additionally, the Lake Hughes Road off-ramps were checked, and adjacent truck stops for any semi-truck combinations matching the description for damage. However, units were unable to locate any suspect vehicles.”
The initial information from officers indicated the truck may have had Amazon markings on the side.
CHP officers said they’ve yet to find any witnesses, but a search-warrant request mentions a dashboard camera that investigators sought to search earlier this month.
Anyone who would like to provide information anonymously can call Crime Stoppers by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477). People can use a smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile App on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or visit: lacrimestoppers.org.
To support Covarrubias’ family, the GoFundMe page can be found at tinyurl.com/25j5dt77.
