The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) released video Wednesday showing the moment a police cruiser was involved in a multi-car crash that killed a pedestrian, ABC7 reported.
The deadly crash that took the life of a 27-year-old happened in Hollywood on April 29, according to ABC7.
LAPD Capt. Kelly Muniz said in community briefing that the officers momentarily turned on their emergency lights and siren and tried to get through an intersection when a Nissan Altima crashed into the cruiser, spinning it into a crosswalk where it fatally struck the pedestrian and slammed into a Mercedes Benz. (RELATED: Video Shows Pedestrian Hit After Police Car Taps Suspect Vehicle In Wild Chase)
Video released by LAPD shows Hollywood crash involving police cruiser that fatally struck pedestrian https://t.co/M0RtAnnDoG
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) May 30, 2024
“Unfortunately there was a pedestrian in the crosswalk,” Muniz said. “When the police vehicle was spun around from that collision, it struck the pedestrian and several other vehicles in that area.”
A graphic surveillance video from a nearby business shows the Altima hit the police car and plowed it into the pedestrian, launching him off his feet toward the side of the road.
“Following the crash, the officers got out of their police vehicle, immediately requested a rescue ambulance to their location and monitored the pedestrian’s vital signs,” Muniz said.
The victim, a resident of London whose name has not been released pending notification of next kin, was pronounced dead after authorities transported him to a local hospital, Muniz said.
“In law enforcement, you’re here to help people,” Muniz said. “That’s what we do. Even inadvertently if we’re involved in something like that, it’s always tragic for everyone involved. That’s never the intent each day that you go out.”
Muniz said the cruiser was not in pursuit at the time of the crash and that the accident is currently under investigation.
