Woman struck by Mayor Garcetti’s SUV in ‘very stable’ condition

The 60-year-old woman who was struck Tuesday by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s vehicle in downtown L.A. is in “very stable” condition and may be able to be discharged Wednesday, a hospital representative said.

Rosa Saca, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, identified the woman as Juliet Nicolas on Wednesday and said she was “possibly going home today.”

Garcetti, a passenger in the black SUV, was on the phone with a journalist when Nicolas was struck just outside the Los Angeles Times building at 2nd and Spring streets.

Garcetti did not see what happened as his SUV was headed east on 2nd Street toward City Hall, according to the mayor’s office. The accident was captured by a Times security camera.

Nicolas was taken to the hospital and kept overnight.

Police said the woman may have been crossing 2nd Street against the light but that the investigation remained ongoing.

Garcetti’s car stopped after turning the corner. Two people got out and appeared to approach Nicolas. About two minutes later, Garcetti’s vehicle pulled away.

Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said the mayor’s LAPD driver had already checked on the woman’s condition, told the other officers who arrived at the scene what occurred and determined paramedics were on the way.

The driver also told police the mayor and two other witnesses in the car would be available for interviews whenever investigators were ready, Smith said.

“This, by all appearances, was a relatively minor collision, except that the mayor’s driver was involved,” Smith said.

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ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com