1 dead after 14-year-old crashes car into light pole in Encino
One person was killed and two others were injured when a 14-year-old girl behind the wheel of a car crashed into a light pole and causing it to burst into flames early Tuesday in Encino.
The crash happened around 12:15 a.m. at Ventura and Balboa boulevards after officers attempted to pull over the vehicle, a Toyota Camry, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officers first noticed the vehicle traveling south on Balboa Boulevard with no headlights on. When they attempted to pull over the vehicle, the car sped away instead of stopping.
"As a result of the only violation being an infraction, officers did not pursue the vehicle," said a statement from LAPD. "The officers continued to drive in the Camry's direction and observed the Camry in the distance negotiate an eastbound turn onto Ventura Boulevard."
When the officers arrived at the intersection, they saw what was described as "the aftermath of a single-party crash involving the Camry and a fixed object."
The car began to smoke and caught fire after slamming into the light pole, causing the officers to break the window of the car in an attempt to save the people inside.
They were able to extract both of the passengers from the front of the car, but as they were attempting to rescue the person in the back the car erupted into flames.
Video shows the wild moments that the officers attempted to free the passengers from inside of the burning car as they were surrounded by large flames and smoke.
"The rear passenger was trapped in the vehicle and was pronounced deceased at scene," the LAPD statement said. They have not yet revealed her identity, but say that she was a 16-year-old girl.
Police said that the driver, a 14-year-old girl, and the front seat passenger, an 18-year-old woman, were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment on injuries sustained in the crash. They conducted an evaluation to determine if the driver was impaired, but did not find any signs to indicate that she was under the influence.
The crash remains under investigation.