Two men were killed Wednesday night when the Corvette they were in crashed into a building and caught fire in Gardena.
Investigators were searching for the driver of another car, possiblye a Chevy Camaro, that might have been involved in the crash. Security camera video shows two cars traveling side-by-side at high speed before the crash.
The crash was reported about 8:15 p.m. in the 13000 block of Crenshaw Boulevard, near El Segundo Boulevard and the border with Hawthorne, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Jose Padilla, 20, of Hawthorne died at the scene, said coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter. The name of the fatally injured passenger was withheld, pending family notification.
The 2006 Corvette was traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Crenshaw Boulevard, according to the Gardena Police Deparment. Offiicals believe the car hit a curb and then a pole before crashing into the building.
At least one driver stopped to help the victims.
"There was an explosion and we took off running," We tried to go back and rescue him but we couldn’t no more because the flames got bigger.”
Crenshaw Boulevard was closed between 135th Street and El Segundo Boulevard, the Gardena Police Department reported. It was reopened at 1:30 a.m.
NBC4's Kevin LaBeach contributed to this report.
