A driver who crashed into a group of people, injuring five, during a test drive at the LA Auto Show Monday did not have a driver's license, according to police.
The collision involving an orange Fiat 500 occurred on a plaza outside the Los Angeles Convention Center near an area where visitors can test drive vehicles. Injuries to the victims, all adults, were described as minor to moderate, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The Fiat driver appeared to have struck a pole near Figueroa and 12th Streets. The car had front-end damage and a shattered windshield.
"It seemed to me, I guess the guy wanted to show off a little bit, and instead of hitting the brake he hit the gas," a witness told NBC4. "It was really shocking."
On Tuesday, Los Angeles police confirmed the driver did not have a driver's license, as required to participate in a test drive. The man provided a California ID card, which an employee mistook for a driver's license, police said.
The driver was in the car with a Fiat employee when he pressed the throttle pedal and slammed into a bike rack before striking the pedestrians, police said.
LAPD officials said drugs and alcohol were ruled out as possible contributors to the crash.
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The test drive area was shut down after the crash. It was not immediately clear when it will reopen.
The LA Auto Show opened Friday.
