South LA

Young Couple Leaving Drive-Thru Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver in South LA

A young couple was killed after a high-speed driver slammed into their vehicle in South LA.

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A young couple was killed in a tragic car crash as they were pulling out of a drive thru Sunday in Exposition Park.

The investigation into the crash took over Martin Luther King Boulevard and Normandie Avenue overnight and into the morning hours. A mangled BMW, clothes and glass were thrown all over the road in what was left of the crash.

"It was definitely dangerous. This couple in this car had no time to react to what was coming to them," said Ryan Moreno, the director of the LAPD South Traffic Division.

The fatal crash happened just after midnight when a white BMW was pulling out of a drive thru at the Burger Factory turning left when they were struck by a Jeep. The impact killed the young couple inside.

"The sound is what brought me outside, it sounded like an explosion," Carla Lee, a neighbor.

Neighbors like Lee ran outside and saw the horrible scene.

"By the sound of the impact you can tell that person was going over the speed limit maybe two times the speed limit because of how loud it was," Lee said. "They had to be going 80 mph to hit that car that hard."

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After the crash, investigators said the driver ran from the scene. Luckily. there was a crowd of witnesses and police said they followed the driver until officers arrived to make an arrest and take them into custody.

Police say they do believe alcohol and speed were factors in the crash.

"A lot of our serious accidents and serious injuries speed is a big part of it," Moreno said. "We wish everyone can slow down."

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