Summary
The crash unfolded in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westwood on Thursday, when a 92-year-old driver collided with a bicyclist and then lost control, authorities said. Police and fire officials said the driver, who was driving a Toyota Prius, continued for another block before swerving into the bakery section of a 99 Ranch Market and coming to a stop with several people trapped underneath the vehicle.
Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Anthony Espinoza characterized the incident as an accident. Espinoza said the crash was “an unfortunate accident” and that it was not believed to have been intentional, according to the report from the scene.
Fire officials said two men, ages 30 and 55, and a 42-year-old woman who were inside the bakery at the time died at the scene. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that two men, both 35, were taken to the hospital in critical condition, while two other men, ages 38 and 37, were in fair condition, the department said.
Officials also said the bicyclist and the driver declined offers to be taken to the hospital. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Lyndsey Lantz said the driver was a 92-year-old woman and that she was cooperating with investigators while undergoing a medical evaluation.
Video footage broadcast on television showed a silver Prius inside the store with its trunk popped open. The footage placed the car amid in-store signage for shoppers and included images of the area at the time responders were dealing with victims, according to the report.
The market where the crash happened is part of the 99 Ranch chain, and the store damaged in the crash is about a mile from the University of California, Los Angeles campus, according to the report. Sean Divekar, 32, told the Los Angeles Times that he uses the store’s bakery and became emotional when he learned that people were killed.