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Driver arrested in fatal hit-and-run in Griffith Park

Hikers climb a trail away from the observatory in Griffith Park.
Los Angeles police arrested a motorist involved in a fatal hit-and-run collision in Griffith Park.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles police announced Sunday evening they had arrested the motorist involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash in Griffith Park this weekend.

The incident occurred about 3 p.m. Saturday when a man and woman got into an argument on Fern Dell Drive, said Officer Rosario Cervantes, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department.

A light-blue 2006 Lexus driven by the woman then struck Valeriy Saakan, 70, police said. Saakan had apparently lost his footing and, according to a statement by the Police Department, was “intentionally run over” with his own car by the driver, who then fled.

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Saakan was hospitalized but later died of his injuries.

Hollywood patrol officers spotted the car, which had damage from a crash and was covered with a blue tarp, on Sunday morning near Lexington Avenue and Vine Street, police said.

Officers took custody of a woman, identified as Sonia Sovereign, 32, after she exited the Lexus. She was arrested on charges of murder and her bail has been set at $1 million, according to police.

Police said she confessed while being interviewed by a detective.

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