Scooter rider killed by driver in Hollywood

A scooter rider was killed early Friday morning in the heart of Hollywood after being struck by a driver, police say.

The crash, which took place around 3 a.m. at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street, appears to be the first deadly collision in the city of Los Angeles involving an electric scooter—though in March, a scooter rider in the city of Santa Monica was killed by a hit-and-run driver.

Police have not released the name of the 31-year-old victim, who they say was crossing Sunset in a marked crosswalk when the crash occurred. The driver, Jared Walter Anderson, 26, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, says LAPD spokesperson Norma Eisenman.

Police are still waiting on the results of a blood alcohol test conducted on Anderson, Eisenman says.

It’s not clear yet whether the victim was riding a personal scooter or one of the many dockless devices distributed in the Hollywood area by companies like Bird and Lime. Since scooters began popping up in communities around LA last year, residents and elected officials have raised alarms about rider safety.

Under California law, users of the vehicles are required to ride in the street, though many riders ignore this requirement, traveling along sidewalks instead. To promote rider safety, Los Angeles officials agreed on rules for dockless companies last year that require scooters be equipped with tail lights and limit maximum speeds to 15 miles per hour.

Last month, Mayor Eric Garcetti told reporters that bike lanes and other infrastructure projects could make streets safer for scooter riders, and that scooter companies could help to pay for such changes.

Ride-hailing company Lyft, which also operates a dockless scooter rental service, later announced plans to invest in Los Angeles infrastructure, but it’s not clear whether bike lanes or street safety projects would be part of that arrangement. Right now, companies are not required to contribute funds to city infrastructure.