SUV crashes into home; driver tries to flee on skateboard

A driver who smashed an SUV into a South Los Angeles house Thursday morning was arrested after trying to flee on a skateboard which he used to fend off witnesses who chased him, police said.

The driver smashed the SUV into the small Craftsman-style home in the 4500 block of Wesley Avenue in Vermont Square at 7:43 a.m.

When police arrived, they found the vehicle wedged tightly between a telephone pole and the house.

Television news footage showed a flattened black metal fence on either side of the car.

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.

“It was a hit and run,” said Los Angeles Police Officer Bruce Borihanh. “He trashed his car and attempted to run away.”

Onlookers saw the driver try to flee on a skateboard, but when they tried to stop him, he used the skateboard “as a weapon” to keep them at bay, Borihanh said.

Officers blocked off a small perimeter around the scene and took the man into custody without incident.

One person, possibly a pedestrian, was taken to the hospital with injuries, Borihanh said.

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-- Howard Blume

Image: Map shows location of where a driver smashed an SUV into a home in Vermont Square. Source: Google Maps