Driver slams into 3 cars in El Sereno; man dies

A motorist fleeing from police slammed into three other vehicles in El Sereno, killing one man and injuring three other people.

Shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday, officers with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollenbeck Division tried to pull over the driver of a silver Chevrolet Suburban on suspicion of driving recklessly, officials said.

LAPD Det. Gus Villanueva said the suspect — whose name was not released — fled, and officers briefly lost sight of him.

The Suburban then crashed into two sedans and a Toyota 4Runner at the intersection of Poplar Boulevard and Huntington Drive, police said.

The Suburban and the 4Runner overturned. One of the sedans was crushed, killing the driver and injuring a passenger.

The body of the driver remained in the vehicle, and he had not yet been identified as of Saturday evening.

The driver of the 4Runner and a woman in another car were also injured.

Los Angeles Fire Department personnel transported the injured people to the hospital. One man was in serious condition and the others were in fair condition, fire officials said.

Officers set up a perimeter to search for the suspect, and he was discovered by a police dog and taken into custody, Villanueva said. In the process, the dog bit the suspect. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Villanueva said officers recovered a gun from the suspect’s car.

Gabriel Acosta, who owns Gabe’s Bike Shop on Huntington Drive near where the crash occurred, said family members of the victims gathered outside his shop, crying.

Several people were waiting at the scene to find out if the driver who died was a family member.

“They have us waiting here for a long time,” said Brenda Gil, 18, who believed her cousin might have been driving the sedan.

“I know they can’t confirm anything right now, but this is really hard to be waiting here.”

ruben.vives@latimes.com

abby.sewell@latimes.com