By Lookout Staff
October 28, 2025 -- The two pedestrians killed in a hit and run crash Friday have been identified, as police search for the driver of the orange Dodge Charger caught on surveillance video fleeing the scene on foot.
The victims have been identified as Maura Cohen and Brad Lipshy, both 61, police said. Lipshy is the founder and CEO of Event Solutions, a local company that plans events in Santa Monica, according to the company's web site.
Police believe the two had left a sushi restaurant in the area when they were struck on the sidewalk near Euclid Avenue by the car traveling in the wrong direction on Wilshire Boulevard.
Surveillance footage from a nearby business shows the car speeding onto the sidewalk before the crash.
Cell phone video shows a man police described as a Black male about 6 feet tall and wearing a red hat, a black sweater, and black shoes, running down Wilshire and turning on Euclid.
SMPD spokesman Lieutenant Lewis Gilmour told KCAL Los Angeles that the vehicle was not reported stolen.
"It is registered to a corporate entity," he told the station. "Our investigators are in contact with the responsible owner of the vehicle to determine who was allowed to drive or not drive it at the time."
Lipshy's company released a statement posted by KTLA.
"To all of us, Brad was so much more than a leader," the statement read in part. "He was a dad, son, brother, friend, mentor, an artist, and an entrepreneur.
"He built Event Solutions not just as a business, but as a place of refuge and warmth, where every employee was treated as family. Those who had the blessing of knowing him are better for it. His positivity was a beacon that led us all."
Two other victims of the crash -- a couple both in their thirties -- were transported with injuries to a local hospital where they are expected to survive.
Friday's hit and run was the second fatal crash in Santa Monica this year. The first took place on August 14 when a pedestrian was struck by a car near the Expo light rail station Downtown.
Anyone with information about Friday's incident should contact Investigator Lantz Lewis at 310-458-2201 x5311 or Lantz.Lewis@santamonica.gov), Sgt. Jason Olson at 310-458-8367 at Jason.Olson@santamonica.gov), or call the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8427.