15-year-old passenger found dead after SUV slams into South LA liquor store, erupts in flames

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A 15-year-old boy was found dead early Sunday morning after an SUV plowed into a South Los Angeles liquor store and erupted in flames, officials said.

The crash occurred about 4 a.m. in the 1300 block of West 54th Street in Vermont Square, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said the driver of the vehicle and two passengers managed to escape from the wreckage.

The flames spread from the vehicle into the single-story building, making their way into the attic. Thirty-four firefighters extinguished the blaze in just under 30 minutes, after which the teen passenger’s body was discovered inside SUV, the Fire Department said.

The survivors were treated for unspecified injuries.

According to LAPD investigators, the driver was traveling northbound on 54th Street and attempting to make a turn when the SUV veered into the structure.

No arrest or citations were immediately announced. The cause of the collision remains under investigation, police said.