96-Year-Old Man Charged in Fatal Hit-and-Run

A 96-year-old man--one of the oldest people ever charged with a felony in Los Angeles County--was arraigned Friday in the hit-and-run death of a 15-year-old Woodland Hills girl.

The motorist, Byron Cox, who had a valid driver’s license, hit Brandi Mitock in a Santa Monica crosswalk Nov. 5 and fled, authorities said. He turned himself in later that day.

Cox--whose family said he suffered a stroke several days after the accident--faces up to four years in prison if he is convicted.

Mitock, who attended a private Westside school, was on her way to buy a snack from a grocery store on Montana Avenue at 21st Street when Cox’s car struck her, police said. She died of multiple injuries at UCLA Medical Center.

Prosecutors charged Cox with hit-and-run, rather than the more serious crime of manslaughter, because witnesses told police that Mitock failed to look both ways while in the crosswalk, suggesting that Cox did not have time to stop.

Neither alcohol nor excessive speed was considered a factor in the incident, police said.

Although Cox turned himself in, the state vehicle code requires drivers to stop at the time of an accident and identify themselves, give help if possible and supply insurance information.

Mitock was riding home in a car with her father, Mark Mitock, executive director of another private Westside school, about 3:30 p.m. They stopped so she could buy a snack, Santa Monica Police Sgt. Pat Armstrong said. Her father pulled over to the curb across from the grocery store and she got out and walked to the crosswalk.

Assistant Dist. Atty. Michael Latin said the decision to charge Cox was based on the fact that the law was broken in a death. Cox’s age could not be taken into consideration, he said.

“It was a tragic accident, but it was an accident,� he said.

Cox, a resident of Santa Monica, is the former owner of Cox Paints on Santa Monica Boulevard. He was accompanied in court by friends and family members, including his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. They declined to discuss the incident.