A woman in her 30s was killed early Friday after a Mercedes Maybach SUV hit her car in Koreatown, Los Angeles, and the driver of the Mercedes was taken into custody after the crash. The impact at 12:30 a.m. sent both vehicles into a violent chain reaction that left a woman dead at the scene and scattered damage across the block.
The Mercedes was traveling southbound on Ardmore Avenue when it struck a car going westbound on 8th Street. The second car spun out of control and hit a pole, while the Mercedes kept moving, hit a street light, struck several parked cars, sheared a fire hydrant and ended up on the sidewalk as water shot high into the air.
Christina Montalvo said she saw responders giving CPR to the woman and could tell the situation was grave. “They were giving her CPR, and once they were giving her CPR, I really felt bad. I was like oh my god, that just doesn't look good,” she said. Video from the scene showed the Mercedes driver hanging off the stretcher as she was loaded onto an ambulance.
Neighbors said the crash fit a pattern of dangerous driving in the area, and some speculated the Mercedes driver may have been under the influence. Police, however, have not said what caused the crash, and they have not said whether the driver has been booked or will face charges. That leaves the central question open: whether this was a single reckless moment or another collision that could have been prevented.
Francisco Alvarez said the scale of the wreck made the danger feel immediate. “This is normal, but I've never seen one this big before and it makes me think - Is this going to happen again? Is it going to keep happening?” he said. William Rahn put it more bluntly: “This might've happened many, many times here over the years,” adding, “If they're drunk and speeding, it's just a roll of the dice whether it's you or somebody else that gets killed. It's too bad.”
The crash has already turned into more than a neighborhood spectacle. It is now a fatal case in which investigators must sort out speed, possible impairment and the driver’s custody status before the next public answer arrives.
