The driver of a silver sedan struck a bicyclist then careened into a Westwood supermarket Thursday, leaving three people dead and six others injured.
The crash was reported at 12:11 p.m. at the 99 Ranch Market at 1350 S. Westwood Blvd., on the corner of Rochester Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Three people — a 55-year-old man, a 42-year-old woman, and a 30-year-old man — were pronounced dead at the scene, according to LAFD spokeswoman Lyndsey Lantz.
LAPD Capt. Erik Scott confirmed that four others were taken to hospitals — two in critical condition and two in moderate condition.
The two victims listed in critical condition were both 35-year-old men, while the other two victims in moderate condition were identified as men aged 37 and 38. Two other people — identified as the sedan driver and the bicyclist — were evaluated at the scene but declined transport to a hospital.
“All three persons killed at this scene were confirmed to be inside the grocery store’s bakery at the time of the accident,” Lantz said in a statement.
Scott said multiple people wound up trapped beneath the silver sedan inside the market. It was unclear if any of those were among the deceased.
A triage operation was set up by LAFD personnel outside the market, an Asian foods store. The massive rescue response closed a stretch of Westwood Boulevard, which was completely blocked by emergency vehicles.
According to police and fire officials, the southbound motorist — described only as an elderly woman — struck a bicyclist about a block away from the store then swerved onto the sidewalk and through the glass windows of the market, coming to a stop in the bakery area of the shop.
The driver was interviewed by investigators at the scene.
Authorities described the crash as a tragic accident, saying it did not appear to be an intentional act.
The building was previously the site of a Borders bookstore.
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety yellow-tagged the building due to the damage sustained, but inspectors determined there was no structural instability, Lantz said.