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LAPD Officers’ Rescue Effort in Encino Teen Car Fire Tragedy Captured on Video

Posted: Mar 8, 2024 / 03:45 PM PST

Updated: Mar 8, 2024 / 06:11 PM PST

In a tragic incident in Encino, Los Angeles, police officers at the scene of a fatal crash last month fought to save three teenagers from a blazing car wreck. The collision, captured on recently released video footage, occurred in the early hours of February 20.

A Toyota Camry was noticed by LAPD officers around 12:15 a.m. traveling along Balboa Avenue without headlights. While the officers chose not to pursue the car, the driver accelerated, leading to the vehicle’s crash into a traffic pole at the intersection of Balboa and Ventura Boulevard.

The officers on the scene used batons to break into the car, which, according to police, was driven by a 14-year-old without a driver’s license. In their rescue efforts, they managed to extract the driver and the front seat passenger, an 18-year-old, from the inferno. However, the front seat passenger sustained a leg injury and required assistance to be moved away from the wreckage.

Destiny Villanueva, the 16-year-old passenger in the back seat, was pronounced dead on the spot.

Source: KTLA Los Angeles