Crime & Safety

UCLA Graduate Killed After Being Hit by Taxi on Wilshire

The incident occurs near Douglas Park.

A student celebrating her recent graduation from UCLA was killed by a taxi after running across Wilshire Boulevard early Saturday morning.

The victim was Melissa Del-Aguila, 24, of West Los Angeles.

Del-Aguila had been seen with friends at Q’s Billiards in West Los Angeles around 1 a.m., according to the . It is believed that she had not driven there, and it is unclear how she traveled to Santa Monica.

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At 2:30 a.m., a Bell Cab driving westbound on Wilshire struck Del-Aguila near (2400 block) after she ran into the street from the north sidewalk.

Del-Aguila was in critical condition when she was transported to a local hospital. She later died there.

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police are investigating the incident and asking the public for information. Del-Aguila was a Hispanic female, 4 feet and 10 inches in height, and 95 pounds in weight. She had long, straight brown hair; brown eyes; and was wearing a light, floral colored blouse and dark-blue skinny jeans. She was also wearing white shoes with 5-inch heels.

If you provide information, you may be eligible for a reward of as much as $1,000.

Contact Detective Chris Dawson at 310-458-8954 or Sgt. Jeff Wiles at 310-458-8950, or call the general SMPD line at 310-458-8495, if you have information about what happened.

If you want to remain anonymous, call WeTip at 1.800.78.CRIME or submit the tip online at WeTip.com. Another option is calling Crime Stoppers at 800.222.TIPS, texting from your mobile phone or visiting LACrimeStoppers.org.


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