2 Hurt After Street Race Sends Lexus Careening Into FedEx Store In Studio City

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA) – Two people were injured -- including a driver who escaped -- after a possibly stolen car which was street racing slammed into a FedEx store in Studio City in the early morning hours Wednesday.

The collision occurred at the FedEx Office Print and Ship Center located at 12101 Ventura Blvd. sometime before 3:30 a.m.

Witnesses told CBS2 a Lexus was street racing with a Porsche down Ventura when the Lexus lost control, went onto the sidewalk and then crashed through the front windows of the FedEx store, which was open at the time with customers inside.

"I heard this screeching from way down the street, and I was just watching to see what was going to happen, and this car comes flying through the intersection, almost like on its side, just out of control, just in, and then you hear this crash," witness Bill Farroux told CBS2.

According to witnesses and cell phone video shot at the scene, the Porsche stopped and its occupants got out and helped pull the driver out of the Lexus. Even though he appeared woozy, they got him into the Porsche and all of them sped away.

"He was out of it, his face was stunned or something," Farroux said. "He seemed like he was trying to talk but he couldn't talk really. A few people picked him up, he couldn't really stand up, but they picked him up, and held him up for awhile, and then they took him off and then they sped off."

A customer who was using a computer station near the front of the store was struck and taken to a hospital. He is expected to survive.

The cell phone video appeared to show the suspects removing what looked like bottles of alcohol from the Lexus prior to speeding off in the Porsche.

Los Angeles Fire Department crews had to use heavy tools to remove the wedged Lexus from the store. An LAFD Urban Search and Rescue team assessed the damage to the building and determined that the FedEx store was safe to reopen. However, next door to the FedEx building is a PizzaRev store. Their common wall was damaged and PizzaRev was unable to open for lunch Wednesday.

Los Angeles police are currently looking for any security video from nearby businesses that could help them in their investigation.

The owner of the stolen Lexus, Caesar Balbuena, spoke to CBS2 Wednesday. Balbuena said police woke him up Wednesday morning to show him video of the crash. He says he had previously loaned the vehicle to a friend. However, he says the driver in the video was not his friend. He added that he couldn't identify anyone in the cell phone video.

Balbuena said the vehicle was insured. It was unclear if Balbuena had reported the car as stolen.

"Somebody got hurt, I feel bad," Balbuena added.