3 Pedestrians Badly Hurt in Pacoima Hit-Runs

Two men and a teenage boy, all pedestrians, were critically injured in two separate hit-and-run accidents in Pacoima believed to be committed by the same driver Thursday night, authorities said.

The men, who are in their 30s, were struck by a vehicle in the 11400 block of San Fernando Road about 8:30 p.m., fire officials said.

About 26 minutes later, a 17-year-old boy was struck two blocks away, in the 11300 block of El Dorado Avenue, said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Witnesses to the San Fernando Road accident described the car as a mid-1990s black two-door Honda Civic, said LAPD Officer Tim Crabtree. The driver is believed to be a male with short black hair or a shaved head, he said.

The accident on San Fernando Road occurred in an industrial area alongside train tracks and near an auto dealership. The second hit-and-run occurred at a cul-de-sac of El Dorado in an industrial and residential area.

Because of the proximity of the two crime scenes, the same driver may have committed both, said Officer James LaForce of the Los Angeles Police Department.

All three victims sustained severe head injuries, Humphrey said. The two men were taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills. The teenager was taken by ambulance to San Fernando High School, where he was airlifted to County-USC Medical Center.