City will reinstall damaged Glendale sign after identifying driver of alleged hit and run
Drivers and pedestrians on Foothill Boulevard at Lowell Avenue are no longer greeted by a concrete sign that read “Welcome to Glendale” after an alleged hit-and-run driver left the gray-slab sign face down in its curbed island Wednesday morning.
The Glendale Police Department has identified the registered owner of the black Toyota Prius responsible for the sign’s damage, and charges are expected to be filed with the Los Angeles district attorney’s office, according to Tahnee Lightfoot, a spokeswoman for Glendale Police.
“Based on the investigation, the detectives did not determine that this was intentional,” Lightfoot said.
As of Friday, city officials plan to reinstall the sign just as it was prior to the incident, according to city spokesman Tom Lorenz.
He added that police investigators said the driver, a Los Angeles resident, allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel when he drove into the sign. A witness reported the incident just after 4 a.m. Wednesday.
The driver will be held liable for the costs of reinstalling the sign, Lorenz said.
City officials with knowledge of the estimated original cost of the sign and how much it will cost to reinstall it were not available, he added.
Last year, the city announced it would install two “Welcome to Glendale” signs at the request of a committee of Glendale residents as well as the City Council who wanted to see Glendale recognized along Foothill.
Their plans and eventual installation last month faced two petitions, together supported with about 1,500 signatures, asking to remove or change the sign to instead reflect the La Crescenta or Crescenta Highlands community.
Residents voted in 1951 to incorporate the portion of land between the two signs to be officially recognized as the city of Glendale.
Also, a sign already exists along Foothill that welcomes travelers to Glendale/Crescenta Highlands.
Twitter: @JeffLanda
