Former boxing champ Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker fatally struck by car in Virginia Beach

He was 55 years old.

ByJulia Jacobo
July 15, 2019, 11:40 AM

Former welterweight boxing champion Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker died after he was hit by a car in Virginia Beach Sunday night, police said.

Emergency dispatchers received a call just after 10 p.m. that Whitaker, 55, was struck at the intersection of Northampton Boulevard and Baker Road, according to a press release from the Virginia Beach Police department.

Whitaker died from his injuries at the scene, police said.

PHOTO: In this file photo, Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker, head trainer for IBF junior welterweight champion Zab Judah of New York, speaks during a news conference at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada July 21, 2011.
In this file photo, Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker, head trainer for IBF junior welterweight champion Zab Judah of New York, speaks during a news conference at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada July 21, 2011.
Steve Marcus/Reuters, FILE

The investigation is still ongoing, according to police.

Whitaker made headlines in 2014 after he won a court case to evict his mother from a home in Norfolk he gave to her in the 1980s in order to pay his mounting bills.

PHOTO: In this file photo, Pernell Whitaker is shown at the Men's boxing medal ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics.
In this file photo, Pernell Whitaker is shown at the Men's boxing medal ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics.
ABC Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty, FILE
PHOTO: Pernell Whitaker (R) throws a right punch against Julio Cesar Vasquez during the fight at the Convention Center, on March 4,1995, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Pernell Whitaker won the WBA World light middleweight title by a UD 12.
Pernell Whitaker (R) throws a right punch against Julio Cesar Vasquez during the fight at the Convention Center, on March 4,1995, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Pernell Whitaker won the WBA World light middleweight title by a UD 12.
The Ring Magazine via Getty Image

Whitaker won a gold medal in the lightweight division at the 1982 World Championships and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2007.

Whitaker was a native of Norfolk, Virginia, and worked as a trainer after he retired from boxing.

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