3 dead, 3 critically injured after vehicle smashes into pedestrians in Los Angeles

Three people were killed when a vehicle careened into pedestrians near a public transportation stop in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, officials said.

The Los Angeles Police Department said that a white SUV struck at least five pedestrians at Lankershim and Chandler boulevards in the North Hollywood section of the city, which is where a Los Angeles Metro station is located, at around 5:55 p.m.

The SUV driver was in critical condition, it said.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said three people died at the scene. Three others were taken to hospitals in critical condition, it said; it was unclear if one of them was the driver.

Everyone who was struck was on the sidewalk, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters at the scene.

“This is still very early in the investigation,” he said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that the people struck were pedestrians and vendors. She said her office is coordinating with city departments and authorities to determined the cause of 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 video from NBC Los Angeles showed what appeared to be a white vehicle crashed into the side of the Metro station, which houses escalators and stairs that go down to the subway, and debris scattered over the area.

A witness said that two women selling hot dogs were thrown in the air from the impact, the station reported.

It was not clear how fast the vehicle was traveling, and investigators will be looking at video and interviewing witnesses, McDonnell said.

“It’ll be probably 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.