At least two people were hospitalized Tuesday after a three-vehicle crash outside Los 5 Puntos restaurant in Boyle Heights.
Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded about 3:18 p.m. to the intersection of Lorena Street and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, where two SUVs and a box truck collided, LAPD Officer Nathalie Downs said.
Two people were taken to a local hospital in unknown condition, Downs said.
Stephen Sotelo, owner of Los 5 Puntos, said a customer was eating outside the restaurant when one of the vehicles lost control and pinned the woman beneath a car. He said she appeared to have suffered a leg injury.
“The chair she was sitting on is completely mangled,” Sotelo said. “Everything is in turmoil outside — broken glass, blood, the lady’s glasses.”
“The front door is completely gone,” he added. “We closed as soon as it happened.”
LAPD said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Related
My background: I was born in Mexico and raised in Boyle Heights, where I got my start in journalism by launching a community blog. Most recently, I worked at the Los Angeles Times and have spent most of my career covering local news in LA, with a focus on community-centered stories, Latino communities and mentoring emerging writers.
What I do: I lead coverage of Boyle Heights and East LA across all platforms to inform, connect and uplift our community. I spend my days listening, planning, editing and coordinating to make sure our stories reflect the community fairly, while supporting and mentoring my team of reporters and freelancers so they can grow along the way.
Why LA?: It’s home. It’s the sounds of Spanglish and other languages, the smell of tacos and kimchi, the way street art tells stories and how, even though I hate traffic, I love how the freeways can take me to the beach or the mountains on a whim.
The best way to contact me: My email is jessica.perez@boyleheightsbeat.org.
More by Jessica Perez
