A woman from Florida has been charged with running over her friend and then fleeing the scene during an incident last month in Hollywood, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Samantha Cunha, 27, of Pearl Beach, Florida, faces one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death. On Jan. 20, Cunha was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her friend, Sofia Fari Ardalan, 27, when the vehicle allegedly struck the rear tire of a motorcycle in a minor traffic collision, police said. The vehicle drove away and the motorcyclist followed. Ardalan allegedly stopped suddenly in the 1300 block of N. Martel Ave., and the two women in the vehicle exited and allegedly argued with the motorcyclist.
When Cunha allegedly returned to the passenger side of the car, the vehicle began rolling, knocking Ardalan down. The defendant then allegedly moved the gear shift lever, causing the car to go into reverse and run over Ardalan, killing her. Cunha is charged with running away from the scene, prosecutors added. Officers took her into custody a short distance away.
Cunha faces a possible maximum sentence of four years in state prison. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Traffic Division.
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Sophia was my best friend