3 killed, 2 injured after SUV driver strikes pedestrians on Los Angeles sidewalk
Three people were killed and two others were injured when the driver of a SUV struck pedestrians on a sidewalk in Los Angeles, according to fire and police officials. The driver was also injured.
The crash was reported at 5:55 p.m. Tuesday at 5350 North Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). The pedestrians were struck on the west side of the street.
A fire department battalion chief came across the crash shortly before 6 p.m. and found that a vehicle had struck several people on the sidewalk, Assistant Chief Joe Everett said at a briefing. Three people were pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses told KNBC that a white SUV was moving fast when it struck street vendors. One witness said the impact sent two women who were selling hot dogs into the air.
Two pedestrians and the driver were taken to Northridge Hospital, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Captain Warner Castillo said. The pedestrians are in critical condition.
The driver, a man in his mid-60s, was able to speak after firefighters freed him from the SUV and is in serious condition.
“We don’t know if it was deliberate,” Castillo said, adding that investigators do not believe a second vehicle was involved but had yet to rule that out.
Officers trained to detect impairment went to the hospital to examine the driver. Police have not determined whether he was under the influence or whether a medical emergency contributed to the crash.
