LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and multiple others injured on Thursday after a vehicle crashed into a grocery store in the Westwood neighborhood in the U.S. city of Los Angeles, said local authorities.
The crash was reported around noon at a 99 Ranch Market, an Asian supermarket chain.
Upon arrival, firefighters found a silver sedan that had crashed through multiple front-facing windows into the bakery section of the store, an area occupied by customers at the time, said the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
Approximately one block away from the store, a bicyclist was also struck by the vehicle before it crashed into the building, said LAFD, adding that firefighters immediately moved the car to free several trapped victims and then initiated triage and treatment at the scene.
Three people, two men aged 55 and 30, and a 42-year-old woman, were pronounced dead at the scene, while four patients were transported to local hospitals, according to LAFD.
Both the driver and the bicyclist were evaluated at the scene and declined treatment or hospital transport, it said.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said the driver has been identified as an elderly female, and the collision remains under investigation, but is not considered an intentional act.
LAPD Captain Anthony Espinoza said during a press briefing that the driver appeared to have struck the bicyclist and then "unintentionally lost control" of her Toyota Prius before crashing into the market.
"The incident is unintentional, and it's just an unfortunate accident," Espinoza said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on X that members of the LAFD and LAPD would remain at the scene, and that the Mayor's Crisis Response Team was en route to provide support and resources.
"I'm asking all Angelenos to avoid the area as the investigation into this tragic incident is ongoing," Bass said. ■
