UPDATE: Wilmington Hit-and-Run

I finally made head-way reporting on yesterday's hit-and-run in Wilmington that injured two Wilmington Middle School 8th Graders. The first hurdle was overcome when I figured out that the LAPD Media Relations office gave out the wrong name for the suspect. Rodrigo Tomas Guevara, 19, is being held on $500,000 bail and will likely be charged tomorrow with felony hit-and-run. He had a suspended driver's license, which I learned from a South Traffic Bureau detective after finally getting through to the Harbor Division's watch commander and being pointed in the right direction.

While I was rebuffed at the school, LAUSD Board Member Richard Vladovic was helpful and responsive. He and Earl Perkins, the assistant superintendent of school operations, let us know that the school and the girls' families are getting plenty of support and counseling from District crisis teams, as well as those sent by the City of Los Angeles. 

One of the girls, Kelsey Fukuda, is fighting hard. The 13-year-old suffered head trauma and is on breathing machines. Her friend, Elizabeth Salas, 14, is in serious condition.

Look for the full story in tomorrow's Daily Breeze and on www.dailybreeze.com.

And, of course, everyone here is wishing the girls and their families all the best.