A 17-year-old driver was killed and a passenger was critically injured when a high-speed chase with police involving a stolen vehicle ended in a fiery head-on crash in South Los Angeles on Wednesday night.
The collision occurred around 9:15 p.m. in the 100 block of East 84th Street when the van slammed into the front of a fire truck that was responding to an earlier medical call in the area, according to Brian Humphrey, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Video from the scene showed one of the occupants being extricated from the charred van. He was transported in critical condition, Humphrey said.
The second occupant, who was later identified as the driver, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neither of their names have been released. The Los Angeles Times reported that the driver was 17 years old.
The pursuit began after a report of a shooting in the 500 block of Colden Avenue, according to LAPD Officer Jack Richter. Responding officers spotted a black van that matched the description of the vehicle being sought in the shooting and tried to pull it over, Richter said.
When the van refused to stop, officers initiated a pursuit, Richter said.
One witness estimated that the pursuit vehicle was going about 100 mph at the time of the crash.
Two firefighters also sustained minor injuries in the crash. They were initially hospitalized as a precautionary measure, but returned to duty Thursday morning.
Authorities have not released any further information about the initial reported shooting.
KTLA’s Tracy Bloom contributed to this story.