The driver of an RV that struck and killed a 9-year-old boy in Koreatown Thursday night has been arrested on suspicion of DUI, police confirmed Friday. The crash also left the boy’s 19-year-old brother in the hospital.
Police say the siblings were riding an e-scooter near the intersection of South New Hampshire Avenue and 4th Street when the RV made a turn, striking them both, just before 9:30 p.m.
The youngest of the brothers, Nadir Gavarreta, was pronounced dead at the scene. His brother was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition.
The driver, identified as 46-year-old Jimmy Pittman, was seen taking a breathalyzer test shortly after the crash. Pittman has been booked on DUI charges, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told KTLA.
A witness said the RV was “flying” down the street seconds before the collision.
“I was crossing, and he was flying. I was like, ‘Slow down before you kill somebody.’ And he was like, ‘F you.’ … He almost ran me over, you know. I got out the way quickly, and then he hit them babies,” Candy Williams said.
Nadir Gavarreta is seen in an image provided by his family. 
Nadir Gavarreta is seen in an image provided by his family. 
A memorial grows in Koreatown for Nadir Gavarreta on Aug. 1, 2025. (KTLA) 
Police were seen performing a breathalyzer test on the suspect before handcuffing him and placing him into a patrol vehicle after a deadly crash in L.A.’s Koreatown neighborhood on July 31, 2025. (RMG) 
Police were seen performing a breathalyzer test on the suspect before handcuffing him and placing him into a patrol vehicle after a deadly crash in L.A.’s Koreatown neighborhood on July 31, 2025. (RMG) 
A 9-year-old child was killed and a 19-year-old victim was hospitalized after an RV driver struck them in L.A.’s Koreatown neighborhood on July 31, 2025. (RMG) 
A 9-year-old child was killed and a 19-year-old victim was hospitalized after an RV driver struck them in L.A.’s Koreatown neighborhood on July 31, 2025. (RMG) 
A 9-year-old child was killed and a 19-year-old victim was hospitalized after an RV driver struck them in L.A.’s Koreatown neighborhood on July 31, 2025. (KTLA) 
Nadir Gavarreta is seen in an image provided by his family. 
Nadir Gavarreta is seen in an image provided by his family.
It was unclear if Pittman was living out of the RV, but a woman who lives in the area said she is concerned about the number of RVs in the area.
“Something needs to be done with these RVs. I mean, they are all over. To drive drunk … that’s somebody’s child,” Yvette Railey said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Nadir’s family with burial arrangements and hospital bills, as his older brother is still receiving treatment.
