MTA bus crashes into building in downtown L.A.

An articulated MTA "flexbus" crashed into two stores at the southwest corner of Central Avenue and 3rd Street in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday morning after it swerved to avoid an SUV that had turned in front of it, authorities said.

Los Angeles police said a white Nissan Pathfinder traveling northbound on Central Avenue turned left in front of the bus, which then careened into the two stores.

The bus, which was not in service, was empty except for the driver at the time of the accident, officials said, and the driver wasn't injured.

The Pathfinder's driver was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Fire Department. A passenger in that vehicle fled the scene, officials said.

The bus was extricated from the building, which suffered significant damage.

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Photo: A Los Angeles building and safety official looks over the damage caused by a bus that crashed into a building at the southwest corner of Central Avenue and 3rd Street in downtown Los Angeles. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times