Two children were killed when they were accidentally struck by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s vehicle Thursday evening, authorities said.
Deputies were responding to a call involving a gunshot victim and got into a three-car collision on a Los Angeles street corner, said Capt. Alfonso Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department.
The sheriff’s vehicle struck five pedestrians, including a child pronounced dead at the scene and a second child who died at a local hospital, Lopez told reporters.
Three other people suffered injuries and were hospitalized, police said. The victims have not been identified.
The two deputies involved in the crash are hospitalized and are in stable condition. They are expected to be released soon, Lopez said.
The drivers of the other two vehicles involved in the crash were not injured and are cooperating with police.
Investigators are working to determine the speed of the vehicles and whether the traffic light was red when the sheriff’s vehicle entered the intersection.
Lopez told reporters that it was his understanding that the deputies’ lights and sirens were active at the time of the crash.
