The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested 19-year-old California man Kristopher Ryan Smith in connection to the hit-and-run death of Andrew Mallard.
According to police, Smith struck and killed Mallard as he was crossing the street on Formosa Avenue in Hollywood, California, around 1:30 on Thursday, April 18.
Mallard, a 56-year-old Australian man, had spent 12 years in prison after a wrongful conviction. The Los Angeles Police Department was offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that led to Smith’s arrest.
Smith, from Norwalk, California, surrendered to police around 12 p.m. local time on Tuesday, April 23. He was subsequently He was booked on a felony hit-and-run involving injury or death charge.
Following his apprehension and arrest, Smith’s bail was set at $50,000. The LAPD said that Smith was released on bail the same day of his arrest.
Mallard made news back in the early 1990s when he was imprisoned in Australia due to a wrongful conviction. Mallard was wrongfully convicted in the 1994 death of a Peth jewelry shop owner in Perth and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
After being sentenced for his alleged crimes in 1995, Mallard was exonerated in the year 2006 and later received $3.25 million settlement payment from the Western Australian government back in 2009.
Mallard was eventually exonerated and released from prison following efforts from journalists, politician, and pro bono lawyers.
At this time, Smith is scheduled to make his first court appearance in the Los Angeles Municipal Court Traffic Division on Tuesday, May 14.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Andrew Mallard’s friends, family, and various loved ones during this extremely difficult time.
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