A 22-year-old man from Pittsburgh allegedly carjacked a BMW compact luxury crossover SUV, struck several pedestrians and a pillar of an office building in Beverly Hills Thursday evening before being arrested.
The Beverly Hills Police Department received a 9-1-1 call around 7:05 p.m. Thursday reporting a man using force to steal a woman’s black BMW X3 in the 400 block of North Bedford Drive, near Santa Monica Boulevard, police said.
The BHPD received a second 911 call shortly afterward regarding a vehicle-versus-pedestrian traffic, police said.
During the initial information gathering, it was discovered that James Portul lost control of the stolen vehicle, crashing near Wilshire Boulevard and Camden Drive. Portul ran away, leaving behind multiple injured victims, police said.
BHPD officers assigned to the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration quickly detained Portul in the 200 block of South Beverly Drive, between Wilshire and Olympic boulevards, police said.
Portul was booked on suspicion of carjacking and hit-and-run with injury, police said.
Beverly Hills Fire Department paramedics took two men, one woman and one boy to hospitals for further evaluation and treatment, police said. Their conditions are unknown.