Downtown Art Walk official responds to Thursday night’s accident

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A car accident on Spring Street following Thursday’s Downtown Art Walk caused the death of a two-month-old baby and injuries to his mother.

Officials say a driver was trying to parallel park but ended up jumping the curb and hitting the mother and the baby, who was in a stroller. An LAPD officer said the accident occurred near 4th Street at around 9:20 p.m. LAPD Central Traffic was still investigating the incident on Friday.

The Downtown Art Walk typically draws large numbers of pedestrians to its monthly Thursday event held in the Gallery Row area of downtown. In the past, some residents have complained of the crowds and the lack of security during the evening event.

David Hernand, the chairman of the art walk’s board, said he’s been in contact with officials following the incident on Thursday.

‘We certainly view the accident as a tragic loss and extremely unfortunate,’ Hernand said. ‘At this point, we are not aware that the accident had anything to do with crowds at art walk. We only know what the police have told us thus far.’

He added that safety is an ongoing concern of the organization. ‘We have an ongoing dialogue with police, business improvement leaders and constituents in downtown about safety. I am sure this incident will be part of the dialogue. ‘

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-- David Ng