A small boy was fatally injured early Thursday when a car crashed through the wall of a ground-floor unit of a South Los Angeles apartment building.
Four others in the apartment and the car’s driver were hurt in the crash shortly after midnight, Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
The boy and a man had to be extricated from under the car.
Police Sgt. Rafael Quesada told reporters he was able to speak with the trapped boy when he checked for vital signs.
Los Angeles boy killed in apartment car crash after writing Santa letter https://t.co/ZT6Gthd7wD
— NASTY GOP FOR HRC (@CarloashleyAnn) December 1, 2016
But the boy was in grave condition when he was taken away and died at a hospital. It was unclear whether the boy was 4 or 5.
A sheet of paper in the debris appeared to be a letter from the boy asking Santa Claus for a bike, Quesada said.
The driver was identified as a 23-year-old woman who was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence.
Police Lt. Nate Williams told KNBC-TV the woman said she swerved to avoid a car that cut her off.
“It’s just senseless loss,” Quesada said. “There’s really no reason or justification for this type of stuff.”
Epoch Times contributed to this report.