Unattended toddler struck by a car in Los Angeles

An unattended two-year-old was seriously injured after they were struck by a car after running into a Los Angeles street late Monday night, according to police.

Officers received a call of a traffic collision at 11:58 p.m. at the intersection of West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Halldale Avenue in Exposition Park.

When they arrived, they determined a vehicle driving westbound on MLK Jr. Boulevard “did make contact with the child,” a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed.

“The unattended child ran into the street and was struck by the passing vehicle,” the spokesperson added.

  • An unattended child was struck by a car after running into a Los Angeles street late Monday, July 1, 2024. (KTLA)
    An unattended child was struck by a car after running into a Los Angeles street late Monday, July 1, 2024. (KTLA)
  • An unattended child was struck by a car after running into a Los Angeles street late Monday, July 1, 2024. (KTLA)
    An unattended child was struck by a car after running into a Los Angeles street late Monday, July 1, 2024. (KTLA)
  • An unattended child was struck by a car after running into a Los Angeles street late Monday, July 1, 2024. (KTLA)
    An unattended child was struck by a car after running into a Los Angeles street late Monday, July 1, 2024. (KTLA)

Video from the scene shows the car, a red Pontiac sedan, in the middle of the roadway with caution tape surrounding it.

The child was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition with a severe head injury.

The driver of the vehicle, who stayed at the scene and cooperated with authorities, was not speeding or under the influence, police said.

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They were not arrested and neither were the child’s parents, preliminary information indicates, however it is not known if the parents were present when the child was struck.

Nancy Fontan and Dan Lunsford contributed to this report.

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