Truck slams into taco stand and injures four on sidewalk in Boyle Heights

Two people were taken to a hospital after a pickup truck slammed into a sidewalk taco stand in Boyle Heights over the weekend, officials said.

The vehicle struck the stand and several pedestrians Sunday morning at Olympic Boulevard and South Soto Street, injuring four people, LAPD Det. Meghan Aguilar said. Four people were injured in the crash, and two were taken to a hospital. Officials said all four suffered minor injuries.

The driver told officers his brakes went out and he did not see the taco stand when he swerved toward the sidewalk to avoid oncoming traffic, according to Moses Castillo, a detective supervisor in LAPD’s Central traffic division.

The driver struck a stopped vehicle before crashing into the taco stand. The man who was preparing food was caught underneath the truck, and passersby helped lift the vehicle off him, Castillo said.

Video of the crash’s aftermath showed tortillas and paper plates scattered on the sidewalk. A red pickup can be seen on the sidewalk near the toppled taco stand.

The driver was not intoxicated, police said, and no one was arrested in the incident.

“We do appreciate that the driver remained at the scene and allowed us to conduct a thorough investigation,” Castillo said. “We have an epidemic of hit-and-runs.”

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra

UPDATES:

11:55 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information about the crash from police.

This article was originally published at 9:45 a.m.