3 dead, several injured in grocery store car crash in Los Angeles
Paris Barraza(This story was updated to add new information.)
Three people have died and several others were injured after a car crashed into a grocery store in Los Angeles on Thursday, Feb. 5.
The incident occurred just after 12 p.m. in the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Rochester Avenue near a 99 Ranch Market. The Los Angeles Fire Department said the deadly crash is not being considered "an intentional collision."
The LAFD said an elderly woman was driving a silver sedan and first struck a bicyclist about one block away from the grocery store. The sedan then hit the building, smashing into the grocery store's bakery.
The LAFD confirmed three people died at the scene. The victims were a 30-year-old man, a 42-year-old woman, and a 55-year-old man, all of whom were in the bakery at the time of the accident.
The LAFD said four others were transported to local hospitals. Two of the injured victims — both 35-year-old men — were in critical condition, and the other two victims, a 38-year-old man and 37-year-old man, were in fair condition. The driver of the sedan and the bicyclist declined to be taken to the hospital.
Emergency crews had to move the car "to access multiple patients who were trapped" inside the market, the LAFD said.
Officials tagged the portion of the building that was impacted by the crash but determined the rest of the building was stable.
LAFD did not immediately respond to the USA TODAY Network seeking additional details about the incident. LAPD is investigating the accident.
LA Mayor Karen Bass asks people to avoid crash on Westwood
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is asking all Angelenos to avoid the scene in a statement on X.
"My heart is with the victims, their families, and all who were impacted by the deadly crash at the 99 Ranch Market in Westwood this afternoon," Bass said. "I want to thank our first responders who acted immediately to respond to this emergency and render critical aid."
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].