A late-night walk in Pacoima ended in tragedy Tuesday when a pedestrian was hit and killed by a pickup truck on Branford Street, prompting a full shutdown of the block while officers combed through the scene.
Los Angeles Fire Department crews pronounced the victim dead at the scene, and officers set up a canopy as they worked under the lights. The collision happened around 9:16 p.m. in the 12600 block of Branford Street, and investigators closed the entire stretch as they documented the aftermath and gathered physical evidence.
According to MyNewsLA, Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to the block, about three-quarters of a mile east of the San Diego (405) Freeway, where a white pickup had struck the pedestrian at roughly 9:16 p.m. Video from the scene showed officers working beneath the canopy, with Branford Street completely shut down for the investigation. Authorities did not immediately release the victim’s name, age, or any information about what might have led up to the crash.
Detectives with the LAPD Valley Traffic Division are handling the case, according to the division’s contact page (LAPD). Anyone with information is urged to call the Valley Traffic detective desk at 818-644-8020 or the front desk at 818-644-8000, as listed in the department’s online directory.
Deadly Streets and the City’s High-Injury Hot Spots
For all the talk of safer streets in Los Angeles, people on foot are still paying a heavy price. City traffic planners say the worst injuries and deaths are not spread evenly across the map. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s Vision Zero safety study identifies a "High Injury Network" where roughly 6% of streets account for about two-thirds of fatal and serious-injury crashes, highlighting how a relatively small number of corridors carry a disproportionate share of danger (LADOT). That finding has pushed the city toward targeted fixes, from redesigned intersections to measures that slow drivers and shield pedestrians.
Pacoima has not been spared. The neighborhood has seen multiple deadly crashes in recent years, including hit-and-run incidents that kept Valley Traffic detectives busy and led to reward offers. Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Times detailed a separate fatal hit-and-run in Pacoima that killed an elderly woman and launched an LAPD search for suspects, underscoring how dangerous driving continues to stalk some San Fernando Valley streets. Local advocates have repeatedly pressed for stronger traffic calming and enforcement in parts of the Valley.
In Tuesday night’s case, investigators kept the block closed while they processed the crash site and asked anyone who may have witnessed the collision or captured video to contact Valley Traffic detectives. For official contact information, see the LAPD Valley Traffic page, and for the initial local report on the incident, see MyNewsLA.
