SAEDNEWS: Three people lost their lives after a vehicle slammed into pedestrians near a public transit stop in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, officials confirmed.
According to Saednews, Los Angeles police said a white SUV struck at least five pedestrians at the intersection of Lankershim and Chandler boulevards in North Hollywood, near a Los Angeles Metro station, at approximately 5:55 p.m.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said three other people were transported to the hospital in critical condition.
The SUV’s driver, a man in his mid-60s, was among those injured, Police Capt. Warner Castillo said. Drug-recognition specialists were at the hospital to determine whether the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Castillo said police did not believe another vehicle was involved in the incident.
According to the fire department, the three people who died had no chance of survival when first responders arrived and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Assistant Fire Chief Joe Everett told reporters that a fire department battalion chief came across the crash at around 6 p.m. He described the scene as “a car that had careened into a number of people on the sidewalk.”
Police Chief Jim McDonnell confirmed that everyone struck by the vehicle was on the sidewalk, adding that the investigation remains in its early stages.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the victims included pedestrians and street vendors. She added that her office was working with city departments and law enforcement agencies to determine what caused the crash.
“I’m heartbroken for the families of everyone impacted. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available,” Bass said.
Aerial footage released by NBC Los Angeles showed what appeared to be a white vehicle that had crashed into the side of the Metro station, near the escalators and stairways leading down to the subway. Debris was scattered across the area.
“It was a huge boom,” said Lincoln Brown, who was walking away from the station when the crash occurred.
“I was walking the opposite direction, but I heard a loud crash behind me,” he said. “I turned around and saw a car smashed up against the Metro station.”
A witness told the news station that two women selling hot dogs were thrown into the air by the force of the impact.
Investigators have not yet determined how fast the vehicle was traveling. McDonnell said they would review surveillance footage and interview witnesses.
“It’ll probably be a prolonged but very deliberate investigation to determine what happened here, and our hearts go out to the families of the victims that were struck here tonight,” he said.
Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, also expressed her condolences and wished those injured a full recovery.
“I am stunned by the tragic loss of life in North Hollywood, and my thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone affected by this devastating incident,” she said in a statement.
