LOS ANGELES, CA – Police are searching for a driver who fled after violently striking an e-bike rider at a Santa Ana intersection Monday night, sending the man airborne and leaving pieces of his bike scattered across the roadway.
The collision occurred around 10:15 p.m. at West Warner Avenue and South Raitt Street.
Video reviewed by Street People shows the e-bike rider stopped at the intersection and waiting to cross Warner Avenue.
When the traffic signal changes, the rider begins moving through the intersection.
A sedan then enters the intersection and appears to run a red light before striking the e-bike rider from the side.
The impact throws the man through the air as pieces of the e-bike break apart and scatter across the street.
Despite the severity of the collision shown in the video, the rider survived.
Authorities said the victim, described only as an adult man, was transported to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The driver of the sedan did not stop after the collision and did not return to provide assistance, according to information available about the incident.
A short time later, another motorist stopped near the injured rider.
A pickup truck was seen positioning itself alongside the man in the roadway, helping block approaching traffic while someone contacted emergency services.
The intervention provided protection for the rider while he remained injured in the street and waited for emergency personnel to arrive.
Police have released only a limited description of the wanted vehicle, identifying it as a sedan.
No description of the driver was immediately available, and authorities have not announced an arrest.
Investigators have also not disclosed the make, model, color or license plate of the vehicle involved.
Information reviewed by Street People indicates the collision remains under investigation as police work to identify the driver and reconstruct what happened in the moments before the impact.
The Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division includes a Collision Investigative Unit responsible for investigating traffic collisions occurring within city limits. The division also handles traffic enforcement and collision-related investigations throughout Santa Ana.
The video may provide investigators with important evidence because it appears to capture both the e-bike rider entering the intersection and the sedan approaching immediately before the collision.
Authorities have not said whether investigators have obtained additional surveillance footage from businesses, residences or traffic cameras surrounding Warner Avenue and Raitt Street.
It is also unclear whether investigators have identified the sedan through video evidence or other information gathered since Monday night.
No explanation has been released for why the driver failed to remain at the scene.
The victim’s identity has not been disclosed, and authorities have released no additional information about his injuries beyond saying they were non-life-threatening.
The collision also places renewed attention on safety for people using bicycles and similar vehicles on Santa Ana streets.
The City of Santa Ana advises bicycle riders to obey traffic signs and traffic rules when traveling on public roadways. Its bicycle safety guidance also emphasizes maintaining equipment in safe working condition and using appropriate signals while riding.
Santa Ana has separately made bicycle and pedestrian safety part of its broader roadway safety efforts. The city’s Vision Zero initiative is designed around reducing traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries while improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.
Those broader initiatives do not establish what caused Monday’s crash, which remains a separate police investigation.
Based on the information currently available, investigators have not announced whether speed, impairment, distraction or another factor contributed to the collision.
The only description released of the suspect vehicle is that it was a sedan.
The surviving rider’s condition is particularly notable given the force of the impact visible in the footage. The man is struck broadside and thrown away from the point of collision while the e-bike appears to break apart beneath him.
Authorities nevertheless characterized his injuries as non-life-threatening after he was transported to the hospital.
Police are continuing efforts to locate the driver responsible.
Anyone who witnessed the crash, recognizes the vehicle from surveillance footage or has information that could help identify the driver is encouraged to contact the Santa Ana Police Department.
The investigation remains ongoing.
