Authorities identified one victim who was killed when an elderly driver crashed her silver Mercedes sedan into a 99 Ranch Market in Westwood Thursday — an incident that resulted in the death of three people and left several others injured.
One of the victims who was inside the market at the time of the crash and died at the scene, was identified as 42-year-old Deris Renoj, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed on Friday. The two other individuals who died were men, ages 30 and 55; their identities will be released once their next of kin has been notified.
As of Friday morning, the 99 Ranch Market, one of the largest Asian supermarket chains with 54 stores across 10 states including California, was boarded up and closed to the public. Flowers were left at the crash site in memory of the victims.
Two of the people who were killed in Thursday’s crash were employees of 99 Ranch Market and the third was a customer, ABC 7 reported. It’s unclear if Renoj was an employee or a customer.
The Los Angeles Police Department declined to provide The Times with further information on the ongoing investigation but authorities have called the deadly crash, which occurred at Westwood Boulevard and Rochester Avenue at 12:11 p.m, an accident.
Authorities, however, confirmed that the 92-year-old driver is cooperating with the investigation.
Police told KTLA they are looking into the possibility of pedal misapplication, which typically occurs when a driver unintentionally presses the accelerator instead of the break. Still, police have not confirmed the cause of the accident.
On Thursday afternoon, the elderly driver first hit a bicyclist, then continued for about a block before crashing her 2023 Mercedes Benz C class into the bakery section of the grocery store, trapping multiple people beneath her car, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Aside from the three fatalities, four people were hospitalized including two men, both 35, who were in critical condition, and two other men, 37 and 38, who sustained minor injuries, according to the fire department.
The driver and the bicyclist, who was struck, declined to be taken to the hospital.
Nick Derobbio, 28, told The Times on Thursday he was driving nearby when he saw the sedan crash into the market. In the next few minutes, he said, he saw bystanders pull an unresponsive man out of the building.
He visits the bakery often and waits for his food “literally where the car is right now,” he said, motioning to where tables and chairs are normally placed for customers.
The Times reached the lessee of the silver Mercedes sedan involved in the crash Thursday night but he declined to comment or identify the driver of the vehicle saying he had just learned of the incident.
Staff writers Sandra McDonald and Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report.
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