Suspected Stolen Car Crashes On 405 In Van Nuys, Injuring 4

VAN NUYS, CA — Three teenagers and a young man were hospitalized in unknown condition Friday morning with injuries they suffered when the suspected stolen vehicle they were riding in rear-ended another vehicle on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway in Van Nuys, spun out across lanes of the freeway and crashed, throwing passengers from the vehicle.

The crash occurred near the Victory Boulevard exit about 10:35 p.m. Thursday, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The extent of the injuries to the one teenage boy, two teenage girls and man were unclear, Humphrey said.

Police first located the vehicle in Pacoima around 10:30 p.m. and went into tracking mode as the vehicle sped away on city streets, then entered the westbound Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway before transitioning to the southbound San Diego Freeway in Granada Hills.

Shortly after getting onto the San Diego Freeway, the vehicle rear- ended another vehicle near Victory Boulevard and the fleeing driver lost control and the suspect vehicle spun across lanes of traffic before it slammed into a pole.

The driver of the vehicle that was rear-ended told NBC4 Thursday night he and a friend were on their way home from work at the time of the crash and are grateful to be alive.

"I'm just thankful to God that we're ok," Vikram Samra said. "It was the worst accident I've been in. I don't know how many times we spun but somehow we just literally stopped on the side of the road."

Two people from the suspect vehicle ran off and were taken into custody.

The southbound lanes of the San Diego Freeway were closed at Victory Boulevard shortly after the accident. The carpool and Nos. 1 and 2 lanes of the freeway reopened at 11:30 p.m., but the Nos. 3 and 4 lanes remained closed until further notice, the California Highway Patrol said.

—City News Service