Man killed in horrific hit-and-run crash in Canoga Park

LOS ANGELES - Police sought the hit-and-run driver who killed a man in a horrific crash in Canoga Park early Tuesday morning.

The deadly crash occurred at the intersection of Vanowen Street and DeSoto Avenue just before 12:30 a.m. Police investigators believe the driver of a Dodge Ram 1500 was speeding down DeSoto Ave. when he ran a red light and plowed straight into a Lexus.

The impact of the crash was so violent, that the truck and sedan crashed into power poles and traffic lights in the intersection.

The driver of the Lexus sedan was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene by authorities. He was identified by the Los Angeles County coroner's office as Nelson Castaneda, 20, of Canoga Park.

Officials said the suspect took off running after the collision and left his truck behind.

"He was traveling at a high rate of speed, probably somewhere in excess of 80 mph. So, anybody that’s involved in a collision of that magnitude is bound to have some level of injury. All the airbags went off in his vehicle. There is evidence of some injury in the vehicle we identified, and so those are good clues for us," LAPD Capt. Andy Neiman told FOX 11.

K-9 units with the Los Angeles Police Department were called in to help find the suspect. However, the suspect remains at large.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the LAPD.