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Crime

Driver rams through crowds at South Los Angeles carnival, injuring 6 

The driver fled the scene. His car was found a few blocks away

November 14, 2022 6:09am

Updated: November 14, 2022 12:42pm

car drove into the crowds at a street carnival in Los Angeles’ historic South Central area on Saturday, injuring six people. 

The incident took place at around 8:20 p.m. in the 3000 block of South Trinity Street and East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. 

According to police, officers tried to pull over the driver of a white Porsche Cayenne. However, the driver did not stop and continued to drive, eventually running into the carnival taking place on the street. 

The driver fled the scene. His car was found a few blocks away. 

"It looks like he tried to get out of the fair, but because of the barricades, he was unable to get out of the fair so he continued westbound MLK, continuing through the crowd of people, which we estimate was between a thousand to 2,000 people," said Sgt. Robert Leary with LAPD.

The victims ranged from 30 to 50 years old. All of them were rushed to the hospital for treatment. None of them sustained life-threatening injuries. 

A video of the incident shows people running through the streets in search of safety. 

"It is a blessing that no one actually got severely injured," said Leary. "I think that they heard the car, I'm not sure if he was honking, obviously people were screaming. It was quite hectic, so I think people saw this car coming in, and thankfully they got out of the way in time."

As of Sunday evening, a person of interest had been detained, Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. He was identified as Steven Weems, 23, and was arrested for a felony hit and run. He is being held on a $50,000 bail. 

The incident is under investigation.