Scene of an Inglewood CarMax dealership where a driver crashed their car into the business on March 8. Photo:
NBCLA/YouTube
Eight people were injured when a driver crashed into a CarMax dealership in the Los Angeles area.
On Saturday, March 8, shortly after 2 p.m. local time, police were dispatched to the Inglewood CarMax location — at the 8600 block of South La Cienega Boulevard — when an apparent customer drove his vehicle into the business, according to both NBC News and The Los Angeles Times.
Two people were critically injured in the crash, and six others sustained minor injuries, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department told the Associated Press.
Authorities are now investigating the crash as an intentional act, per NBC News.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department and Inglewood Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for further information on Sunday, March 9.
A Google Maps view of the CarMax dealership in Inglewood, Calif. Google Maps
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Footage of the incident shared by multiple outlets, including CW affiliate KTLA, shows the heavily damaged vehicle reversing into the front of the dealership’s doors, before it appears to drive over multiple desks in the showroom, as employees attempt to escape the scene.
Toward the end of the clip, the vehicle exits the back of the showroom. NBC News reported, citing police, that the driver’s motive may have been a “business dispute.” His identity has not yet been shared.
“We suddenly saw a fight, fighting, it was really loud. Everyone was kind of worried, and security tried to stop the guy,” witness Sim Wang told Fox affiliate KTTV. “Bang! Glass crashing sounds and people shouting.”
“I actually saw the car run over several persons. One sales representative got run over — his hand got crushed by the car. I was there, it was so close to me. It was two steps or five steps close to me,” Wang recalled. “I was shouting, ‘Move out! move out!’ “
Another witness, Mitchell Marshall, claimed the suspect “rammed into” the location twice. “[I heard] a big boom the first time. Second time is crunching. I’m a vet — whenever I hear a boom, I take cover. It was totally unnecessary whatever was going on in there,” he told KTTV.
A Times employee present at the dealership during part of the incident claimed that the customer yelled at staff before waving around a metal water bottle and jumping on the roof of a vehicle. Inglewood Police Sgt. Cesar Jurado told the outlet that the driver fled the scene after departing the showroom, drove to the Los Angeles Police Department Recruit Training Center and eventually turned himself in.
CarMax said in a Facebook statement on March 8 that the driver injured “several employees and customers,” who later received medical care. In a separate statement to NBC News, CarMax added that the suspect “had his vehicle appraised.”
“This individual was a customer and was arrested by the police,” the company said. “We appreciate the authorities’ swift response to this terrible event. The safety of our employees, community and customers is our top priority. We are deeply saddened by this event and our hearts go out to everyone.”
