Bystander killed, woman critically injured in L.A. street race
One man was killed and a woman was seriously injured when their sport utility vehicle was struck by a car involved in an illegal street race in Los Angeles early Sunday morning, police said.
The dead victim, who was not immediately identified, was pulling out of a driveway in the 5000 block of South Central Avenue around 1:30 a.m. when his SUV was hit by a 2009 BMW that was racing a white sedan, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles Police Department.
The BMW was unable to stop and slammed into the driver’s side of the victim’s SUV, police said. The BMW then crashed into two other vehicles before it came to a stop, but the occupants of those vehicles were not hurt, according to police.
The victim suffered injuries to his head and body, and was pronounced dead despite being rushed to surgery, police said. A woman in the SUV remains in critical condition after suffering trauma to her head and body.
The driver of the BMW was also hospitalized in stable condition. It was not clear whether the driver was arrested or would face charges, and calls to an LAPD spokesperson seeking additional comment Sunday were not returned.
Police are searching for the driver of the sedan and asked anyone with information to contact detectives with the LAPD’s Central Traffic Division at (213) 833-3713 or (213) 486-0760.
Earlier this year, a Times analysis of coroner’s records, media accounts and police reports found that roughly 170 people have died in Los Angeles County in crashes linked to illegal street racing between 2000 and 2017.
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