A pedestrian was killed late Saturday night in Van Nuys in a collision that initial scene reports indicated involved a Los Angeles Police Department patrol vehicle, though that detail had not been officially confirmed by publication time. Officers found the pedestrian down in the roadway in the 6100 block of Woodman Avenue and attempted to render aid before the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police shut down the surrounding area to traffic as they opened an investigation into exactly what happened.
According to County News Service, officers broadcast a request for assistance over radio traffic Saturday night after reports of a traffic collision involving an LAPD patrol vehicle and a pedestrian near the 6100 block of Woodman Avenue. Radio traffic indicated the crash occurred at 11:32 p.m. local time. The outlet reported that the LAPD Media Relations Department did not respond to calls seeking confirmation of the circumstances, and that the initial reports of a patrol vehicle striking the pedestrian remained unconfirmed as of publication.
June Scanner Traffic Describes Officer Down, Suspect in Custody
A June 20, 2026, Citizen account described scanner activity involving a call of “officer needs help” near Woodman Avenue and Oxnard Street. That account reported that an officer involved in the incident was conscious with a broken leg, and that police said a suspect had been taken into custody east of the location. The Citizen feed described the suspect's vehicle inconsistently over the course of the broadcast, at various points naming a gray-blue Infiniti sedan, a black Mazda, and a white four-door vehicle.
Because of that uncertainty, the full sequence of Saturday night's crash — including how many vehicles were involved and whether an LAPD cruiser was the one that struck the pedestrian — remains unclear. Police had not released the identity of the pedestrian or further details on the investigation by the time of publication.
A Pattern of Fatal Crashes Involving LAPD Vehicles
Saturday's crash is not the only recent fatal pedestrian collision in Van Nuys. In September, LAPD said Valley Traffic Division detectives were investigating a separate fatal hit-and-run that killed a man on Sherman Way just west of Sherman Circle, around 3:45 a.m. on September 18. The pedestrian, a Hispanic man in his 30s, was struck by a small, dark-colored SUV traveling eastbound and was later pronounced deceased, according to the department, which said the driver failed to stop, identify themselves, and render aid as required by law before fleeing. LAPD said a reward of up to $50,000 was available for information leading to the offender's identification, apprehension, and conviction or resolution through a civil compromise.
LAPD vehicles have been involved in other fatal pedestrian crashes in recent years. An on-duty LAPD vehicle fatally struck a pedestrian in Highland Park in September 2025, according to authorities cited by the Los Angeles Times. In December 2023, an LAPD patrol car struck and killed a pedestrian in South Los Angeles, prompting the police chief to open an internal investigation into the officer's conduct, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. The following month, LAPD released video of a separate fatal collision involving a marked squad car and a pedestrian, according to KTLA.
Traffic Deaths Keep Climbing Despite Vision Zero Spending
Saturday's death comes amid a broader rise in traffic fatalities across Los Angeles. The city saw 8% more fatal traffic collisions through the end of August 2026 compared with the same period the year before, according to LAPD data cited by LAist. Advocates told the outlet that traffic fatalities have exceeded the city's homicide rate for three straight years.
Traffic collisions killed 290 people in Los Angeles in 2025, including more than 150 fatal collisions involving pedestrians, the same outlet reported, even as citywide fatalities fell 6% from 2024 — the second consecutive annual decrease, though still above pre-pandemic levels. Traffic deaths outpaced homicides by 60 people that year. The city has invested nearly $350 million in its Vision Zero traffic-safety program, including $13.5 million earmarked for LAPD officer overtime, but earlier in 2026 it gave up $100 million in state safety grants because it lacked the personnel to complete the projects, according to LAist's reporting.
