Pedestrian in South L.A. killed, two others injured by driver in stolen Amazon truck

A 57-year-old pedestrian was killed and two other people were injured Thursday when a man in a stolen Amazon delivery truck drove onto the sidewalk and crashed into a building in South Los Angeles, police said.

The pedestrian, a man who was not immediately identified, was pinned down by the truck and died at the scene following the crash near South Main Street and 47th Place about 2:15 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The suspect, Cristian Ramos Sanchez, 37, tried to flee the scene on foot but bystanders followed him and called 911, police said. He was arrested less than a mile away and booked on suspicion of felony hit and run.

Sanchez’s bail was set at $85,000, police said.

The incident began when an Amazon driver stepped out of his truck to make a delivery in the area around 2 p.m., authorities said. A man then jumped in the truck and drove off.

The driver called 911 to report the theft, but the truck crashed into a parked car along South Main Street less than 10 minutes later, according to authorities. The truck thief caused another vehicle to crash into several parked cars, police said. He then drove the Amazon truck onto the sidewalk, hitting pedestrians and a building, police said.

Three pedestrians were hit on the sidewalk, according to police. Two pedestrians suffered minor injuries as they narrowly avoided being hit by the truck, but the third victim was pinned under the vehicle.

The pedestrian who was killed was a street vendor, KTLA-TV reported.