Mom hit and killed by LAPD cruiser responding to rowdy Halloween party
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A pedestrian was hit and killed by a Los Angeles police officer responding to a chaotic Halloween party, according to reports.
The incident unfolded Saturday after officers with the Los Angeles Police Department received reports around 10:30 p.m. that shots had been fired at a massive house party. The event, attended by around 300 people, was located in Sherman Oaks.
The officer, driving a police cruiser, struck a female pedestrian in the neighboring Valley Glen area in the San Fernando Valley while en route to the party, police told CBS LA. Both officers in the cruiser remained at the scene, where the 32-year-old mom was pronounced dead, authorities confirmed.
The Independent has contacted the LAPD for further comment on the incident.
A spokesperson for the police department told KTLA that the collision occurred at around 11:30 p.m. near a marked crosswalk. The cruiser had its lights and sirens on at the time.
Police have yet to release the 32-year-old’s name.
Speaking toThe Los Angeles Times, LAPD Lieutenant Elpidio Orozco said the victim’s name will be confirmed once her family have been notified, adding that the police department’s Multidisciplinary Collision Investigation Team is investigating. Orozco added that the car was responding to the Van Nuys Division and was from the North Hollywood Division.
The victim’s family told CBS LA that they are “devastated” and said that the victim is survived by her two daughters.
A witness described hearing the crash from roughly 30 feet away.
“What I heard was a loud thud…caught my attention because it wasn’t loud enough to be a gunshot but it didn’t sound like a car accident,” the witness told CBS LA. “I see one cop car in the middle of the street, sideways, then I see a cop a couple feet from the curb looking into the street.
“And I look into the street, and you could see the body in the middle of the street on the floor.”
The police department told ABC7 that no injuries were reported at the party, which was cleared by authorities – although they did not note if a firearm was found at the massive event.
