Hancock Park crash leaves 2 critically injured after driver appears to run red light
LOS ANGELES - Officials said a violent overnight crash in Los Angeles' Hancock Park neighborhood left two people hospitalized after one victim had to be freed from a wrecked vehicle by firefighters.
What we know:
Los Angeles police and fire crews responded around 1:40 a.m. Friday to a two-car crash at South Highland Avenue and 3rd Street.
According to Los Angeles Police Department investigators, a black Honda traveling westbound on 3rd Street appears to have run a red light and collided with a gray Honda heading southbound on Highland Avenue. The impact sent the gray Honda into a nearby wall and knocked out a traffic signal at the intersection.
Police say the driver of the gray Honda, identified as Hardy, was ejected through the passenger-side door and thrown into the wall. A female passenger became trapped in the wreckage, prompting firefighters to use the Jaws of Life to free her in a rescue that took at least 15 minutes.
Both victims were taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in critical but stable condition.
The crash shut down 3rd Street in both directions from Citrus Avenue to Highland Avenue for several hours. The intersection has since reopened, but with traffic signals still out, drivers are being asked to treat it as a four-way stop until Department of Transportation crews make repairs.
The Source: This story was written with information from the Los Angeles Police Department.