Darwin Dantzler, 39, arrested Wednesday
By Sam Catanzaro
An Inglewood man was arrested this week in connection to a Playa Del Rey hit-and-run that killed a woman and injured her three-year-old son.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the incident took place on Saturday, September 11 around 10:35 p.m. when a dark colored Chevy Equinox traveling northbound on Vista Del Mar struck a pedestrian crossing eastbound on Vista Del Mar Boulevard. Police say the pedestrian, 33-year-old Wendy Galdamez Palma of Downey, was declared dead on the scene by the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The driver of the vehicle fled the scene and did not render aid to the victim as required by law. On Wednesday, Darwin Dantzler, 39, was arrested as a suspect in this incident. He has since been released after posting $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 12, 2022
When the collision occurred, the victim was cradling a three-year-old son. The child was taken to UCLA Westwood Hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. On Sunday, the child was released from the hospital.
As reported by CBS, Palma shielded her son with her own body, blocking him from the vehicle that killed her.
At the time of the collision, Palma’s husband and four-year-old son were together nearby. The family was previously at the beach and were walking back to their car.
In the wake of the tragedy, a GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.“What was [supposed] to be a fun, family beach day for Wendy, her husband and two sons, turned into a fatal tragic loss,” reads the fundraiser description. “Wendy was 33 years old, married with two boys, ages 3 and 4. She was a beloved mother, wife, daughter, sister and aunt. She was loving, funny, admirable and self-less, with her last motherly instinct was to sacrifice her life to save her 3 year old son. Due to this senseless act of a heartless stranger, Wendy’s children will grow up without their beloved mother.”
