Newly released footage from the scene of a fatal crash in Encino last month shows the moments when Los Angeles Police Department officers attempted to save three teenagers from the burning vehicle.
At about 12:15 a.m. on Feb. 20, officers spotted a Toyota Camry driving on Balboa Avenue with its lights off.
Officers declined to begin a pursuit, but the vehicle — containing three friends who live near each other — sped off anyway before crashing into a traffic pole at Balboa and Ventura Boulevard, police said.
Officers deployed their batons to gain entry into the vehicle, which was driven by an unlicensed 14-year-old.
The driver and the front seat passenger, an 18-year-old who had to be dragged away from the burning car due to a leg injury, were the only ones who made it out.
The back seat passenger, 16-year-old Destiny Villanueva, was declared dead at the scene.
At one point in the video, police indicate they believe only two people were in the car, and when an officer tries to get another fire extinguisher to check on Villanueva, another officer tells him “that person’s gone that’s in the back seat.”
So far, it’s unclear if the driver will face charges for the crash, but police confirmed that she “did not display any sign of impairment” after the crash.