Long Beach police looking for hit-and-run driver responsible for the deaths of a man and his 3-year-old daughter

Long Beach, California – Long Beach police are looking for a 24-year-old man who they believe was operating the vehicle that crashed into a Long Beach apartment and killed a 42-year-old man and his daughter, who were in their bedroom at the time of the crash.

At about 10 p.m. on March 1, a 2014 Ram 1500 pickup truck driven by Octavio Montano was reportedly traveling northbound on Rose Avenue, near East Artesia Boulevard, when it collided into an apartment building, killing a man and his 3-year-old daughter, according to the Long Beach Police Department. The truck driver fled the scene after the crash.

The 42-year-old man, Jose Palacios Gonzalez, was pronounced dead at the scene. His young daughter was rushed to a hospital for treatment, where she died a short time later.

Witnesses told investigators that the truck driver appeared to have been at a local pub before the accident.

Contact Detective Kevin Johansen of the Long Beach Police Department at 562-570-7355 if you have any information regarding the case. Tips can be made anonymously to Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-8477 or by submitting them online at lacrimestoppers.org.