A driver who hit and killed Andrew Mallard on Hollywood's iconic Sunset Boulevard says he didn't see the West Australian man before he struck him.
Kristopher Ryan Smith, 19, handed himself into Los Angeles Police just before 12pm on Tuesday, and has now been charged over the death.
Smith told the Nine Network he had been on his way home from dinner with friends when he hit Mallard, and had not been speeding or drinking.
"I'm sorry for the accident. I feel sorry for the victim's family. It was dark out. I didn't see him," he told Nine.
"I panicked. I just ran home to my mom."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Smith's lawyer Sammy Weiss said his client had "never been in any trouble in his life."
"He's never even been in a car accident. And here he is in the middle of a nightmare."
Security footage showed Mr Mallard, 56, walking across the busy section of Sunset Boulevard early last Thursday and what appears to be a silver sedan striking him.
Mr Mallard's death and tragic life story have received widespread media exposure in the US, and a reward up to $US25,000 ($A35,000) had been offered for information on the culprit.
Mr Mallard was wrongly imprisoned for 12 years for the 1994 death of Perth jeweller Pamela Lawrence. He had his conviction quashed by the High Court in 2005.
