1 dead, 4 injured after driver, 91, crashes car in Trader Joe’s parking lot, police say

One person was killed and four others injured after a 91-year-old woman drove her car into a group of pedestrians in a Trader Joe’s parking lot near the Grove on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded at 1:21 p.m. to a report of a vehicle crashed into a stand in a parking lot near the intersection of 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene, and four others were transported to a hospital for treatment, according to the Fire Department.

A Los Angeles police officer responds to the scene of a fatal car accident Thursday in a Trader Joe’s parking lot, seen in the foreground.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident.

Helicopter video by KTLA showed Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics treating the injured. A white canopy was set up over the body of the person who was killed, while a white sedan with front-end damage could be seen pinned against a partially crushed structure.

Witnesses told the TV station that the driver lost control of her car upon entering the lot, hit a parked vehicle and then swerved into a group of people before crashing into a parking attendant stand.

Firefighters could be seen wheeling an older woman in a wheelchair.

Information on the identity of the person killed was not immediately available.

Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that she was deeply saddened by the incident and that her office deployed members of its crisis response team to assist. This volunteer-based program provides emotional support and resources to families affected by traumatic incidents.

“My heart goes out to everyone impacted,” Bass said. “I thank the brave first responders who were on the scene quickly to render aid.”