14-year-old was behind the wheel in crash that killed a passenger, police say
One person was killed and two others were injured after a 14-year-old driver lost control of a speeding car and slammed into a utility pole in Encino early Tuesday morning, Los Angeles police said.
The car, a silver sedan, burst into flames after striking the pole. Police were able to pull the underage driver and a passenger out of the wreckage, but a second passenger was trapped in the backseat.
The trapped passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson said.
According to KTTV-TV News, the car had been reported stolen by a relative of one of the occupants of the vehicle.
“This is an absolute tragedy,” LAPD Capt. Jeff Hollis told the station. “There are some families that will suffer as a result of this.”
A spokesperson with the LAPD could not confirm if the car was reported stolen.
Video shows a woman on a car’s hood as it picks up speed in downtown L.A. She said she thought ‘they wouldn’t drive if I was on the car.’ They did.
Police first spotted the vehicle headed south on Balboa Boulevard and nearing the 101 Freeway at about 12:15 a.m. LAPD officers with the West Valley patrol division noticed the car’s headlights were off and attempted to stop the car, but the driver sped off, police said.
Officers decided not to pursue the car, according to authorities, but the driver lost control of the car just moments later.
The 14-year-old was attempting to turn left on Ventura Boulevard when he lost control and crashed into the pole.
The name of the dead passenger has not been released.
The driver and injured passenger were taken to a nearby hospital. The crash is still under investigation.
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