A woman was killed when an SUV plowed into a Los Angeles Halloween store allegedly driven by an 18-year-old who was being followed by police.
The fatal crash occurred on Sunday around 8 p.m. in the Van Nuys neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
Minutes earlier, the vehicle – a 2007 Chevy Tahoe – had been seen attempting an illegal road takeover that was watched by a police helicopter crew. The helicopter followed the SUV as it left the intersection at “extremely high” speed with no lights, a Los Angeles police spokesman told the KTLA television station.
Police officers in patrol cars driving to the intersection saw the driver fleeing and turned to follow him.
He failed to turn and rushed into a store that was hosting a pop-up Halloween shop event, police said.
An unidentified Woodland Hills woman was killed in the crash and at least five other people were injured.
The 18-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Witnesses told the Los Angeles Times that the SUV came through the doors and drove far into the store. There were about 60 people inside, most of the salespeople packing up at the end of a Halloween shopping event.
The building on Woodley Avenue and Saticoy Street is reportedly pending licensing as a sports bar and has been rented out for pop-up events.
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