LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run after authorities said he drove through a crowded weekend street carnival while being pursued by police in South Los Angeles, injuring six people.
Steven Weems, a resident of Mississippi, was arrested late Saturday, hours after the Porsche Cayenne crashed through a cement rail and into the carnival. It wasn't known Monday if Weems has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Police said officers were trying to pull the Porsche over when it veered through the barrier.
Six people between 30 and 50 years old were struck and taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange said Saturday. Los Angeles police Officer Melissa Podany said Sunday that all the injuries were minor.
The empty Porsche was found later a few blocks away.
Officials said there were about 2,000 people at the event on Trinity Street just north of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
“It is a blessing that no one actually got severely injured,” police Sgt. Robert Leary told the Los Angeles Times. “It was quite hectic, so I think people saw this car coming in and thankfully they got out of the way in time.”
Weems was held on $50,000 bail.
