Boxing champion Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker died Sunday after he was struck by a vehicle while crossing a busy intersection in Virginia Beach, the city's police department announced Monday. 

He was 55.

Around 10 p.m. Sunday, police were called to the intersection of Northampton Boulevard and Baker Road, where they saw a man lying in the intersection. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to police, the person driving the vehicle stayed and talked with officers. It's unclear if that person will face any charges.

Whitaker wasn't identified initially, but friends and family took to social media to say Whitaker was the one who was struck by the car, and police confirmed his identity Monday morning.

Whitaker was a world champion in the lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight divisions. He won the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in the lightweight division.

His career spanned from 1984-2001 and he faced the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Greg Haugen, Jose Luis Ramirez and Julio Casar Chavez.

When Whitaker retired in 2001, he had a 40-4-1 record as a professional, with one no contest and 17 knockouts. He was inducted in to the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006, his first year of eligibility.