A 33-year-old mother of two was killed early Friday morning when a speeding Mercedes-Maybach SUV slammed into her car at the intersection of West 8th Street and South Ardmore Avenue in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Ittai Arenas Rodriguez was driving a black Toyota westbound on 8th Street, making a food delivery, when the SUV traveling south on Ardmore Avenue struck her vehicle around 12:30 a.m. The impact sent the Maybach careening into a streetlight, several parked cars, and a fire hydrant before it came to rest on the sidewalk. Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene, and the woman driving the Maybach was taken to a hospital before being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
According to ABC7 Los Angeles, Rodriguez had just finished culinary school and had received two job offers before the crash, and she had bought her car only a week earlier. Fox 11 Los Angeles (KTTV) reported that the DUI suspect was released from California Hospital Medical Center and booked into custody once she was medically cleared. Los Angeles police have not released the suspect’s name and say the investigation into the cause of the crash, including the vehicles’ speeds, is ongoing. Family and friends gathered for a candlelight vigil at the crash site over the weekend to mourn Rodriguez.
