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The driver, who is in his 60s, was taken out of the vehicle and
was able to talk but appeared in shock, Los Angeles Police Capt.
Warner Castillo said, adding that officials were not immediately
able to determine the cause.
“We don’t know if it was done intentionally, if it was done by
accident,” Castillo said at a news conference.
Investigators will go through video of the crash frame by frame,
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said.
“It will be probably a prolonged but a very deliberate
investigation to determine what happened here,” he said.
The minivan was on the sidewalk surrounded by debris Tuesday
night with its driver's side door left open and an air bag
deployed. Fire engines and emergency crews worked nearby as a
helicopter flew overhead.
Luis Luna-Guzman was working at a burger stand nearby when he
heard a loud boom and saw people on the ground along with food
and cups. People nearby started running toward the crash.
As he moved closer, he found an injured woman lying near the
bike racks, her face, arms and legs bloody, he said, recalling
her eyes were closed as she moaned in pain.
“I told her, ‘Don’t move, help is coming,’” Luna-Guzman said,
adding that he saw a woman's body nearby, while another woman
was lying unmoving on the stairs leading to the station.
Mayor Karen Bass said the victims included street vendors and
pedestrians.
“I’m heartbroken for the families of everyone impacted,” Bass
said in a post on X.
Adrin Nazarian, a Los Angeles City Council member whose district
includes North Hollywood, described the area as a close-knit
community where there is always commotion and activity.
“This is a constantly very active place, so it’s extremely
concerning when you hear something like this happen,” he said.
One entrance to the metro remained closed Tuesday night, but
otherwise the property wasn't impacted and the stations for the
bus and subway were open, according to Jose Ubaldo, spokesperson
for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation
Authority.
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Golden reported from Seattle.
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