91YO Grandma Killed in "Horrific" Hit and Run Accident After Driver Fled the Scene Without Requesting Aid

Her family is devastated at their loss.

Cover Image Source: YouTube | Los Angeles Police Department (Fatal hit-and-run)

By Devika Menon

December 19, 2022

Posted December 19, 2022

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on August 6, 2021. It has since been updated.

Trigger warning: Contains footage that may be disturbing.

Soon Kim, a 91-year-old great-grandmother, was walking along an alley around 7:00 in the morning on August 2, 2021, in the University Park neighborhood of South L.A. With the help of a walker, Kim decided to cross the road, but little did she know that she only had moments to live. The woman was walking towards the road when a truck was “backing unsafely” in the alleyway, according to PEOPLE.

The vehicle then collided with the pedestrian, states a press release by the Los Angeles Police Department. CCTV footage of the hit-and-run was also released by the LAPD.

The driver, a woman, got out of the truck after the collision, and noticed the pedestrian "laying on the roadway." The driver then "moved the vehicle out of the roadway, stood around her vehicle for approximately three minutes, then returned to her vehicle and left the location failing to render aid."

#BREAKING LAPD seeking pickup driver who backed over 91-year-old great-grandmother, then got out and looked at her dying body on the ground before driving offhttps://t.co/v1y5oqjtip
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) August 4, 2021

After the LA fire department arrived at the scene, they rushed the injured woman to the nearest hospital, but unfortunately, it was too late by then. She died from her injuries there, per KTLA.

Soon Kim, a South Korean Immigrant, was widowed when she was just 25, and raised her two children without anyone's help. The grandmother-of-five loved America, her church, and playing bingo, according to ABC 7. She also had two great-grandchildren.

"Our grandmother lived a very full life, a very happy woman. Lived for her family, her grandkids," said her grandson, Rich Henderson. "To die in such a horrific way - we were expecting the call at 91 years old that she had died peacefully in her sleep. To get that call (instead) is truly heartbreaking."

Her other grandson, Hyun Cho, said his grandmother’s greatest love was her family, adding that she worked very hard to make sure they were well cared for. She thoroughly enjoyed cooking for them, Cho added.

“She was very fiercely independent,” Susan Cho, Hyun’s wife, said. “She lived by herself with no complaint. She enjoyed her independence.”

Henderson spoke about how his grandmother didn't have it easy when she first moved to the country. "She really had a tough life," he said. "Her perseverance through life inspired all her children and her grandchildren."

The grieving family is now looking for answers as the driver is still not in police custody. “We understand that the woman that struck her is someone known in the neighborhood,” Susan Cho said. "People recognized the car and that she had sort of a regular routine of putting up mattresses and other things in the area … It gives us some hope that she may be found.”

There is a reward of up to $50,000 for anyone who provides information leading to the suspect's identification, apprehension, and conviction, police said. People can call 323-421-2500 or 323-421-2570. To make anonymous tips, call 1-800-222-TIPS.