A man was struck and killed while crossing Vermont Avenue in South Los Angeles on Saturday night, according to KTLA, which cited the Los Angeles Police Department. The collision occurred around 8:40 p.m. at Vermont Avenue and 40th Place, and first responders pronounced the man dead at the scene.
Police said the driver remained at the scene. The victim's identity had not been released, and authorities had not said whether he was in a marked or unmarked crosswalk. Investigators also had not disclosed whether speed, impairment or another factor contributed to the collision.
Earlier Vermont Avenue Fatalities
The location has been the scene of other fatal pedestrian crashes, although the documented cases differ in important ways. The Los Angeles Police Department said a small four-door sedan struck a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk at Vermont Avenue and 90th Street around 9 p.m. on June 26, 2025. The driver fled, and the pedestrian later died.
In a separate case on Jan. 21, 2022, a dark vehicle traveling north on Vermont Avenue struck a woman in her 30s who was crossing just north of 186th Street, according to LAPD. She died at the scene, and the driver left. Unlike those two earlier incidents, police said the driver in Saturday night's crash stayed at the location.
The earlier cases establish that fatal pedestrian crashes have occurred at multiple points along Vermont Avenue, but they do not by themselves show that crashes are becoming more frequent or explain what caused Saturday night's collision. LAist has reported that Vermont Avenue has one of the highest rates of pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries in Los Angeles, providing broader corridor context without determining responsibility in this case.
The investigation remains ongoing. Until LAPD releases additional details, the circumstances of the crossing, the vehicle's speed and any potential citation or criminal filing remain unknown.
