Alfa Romeo crashes into sushi restaurant in Studio City; driver flees on foot
Police are searching for a driver who slammed into a Studio City sushi restaurant early Monday afternoon before running from the area on foot.
Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to Akira Sushi, located in the 11800 block of Ventura Boulevard at around 1:35 p.m. to Akira Sushi after learning of the crash. They arrived to find a vehicle inside the restaurant but there was no driver to be found.
Security footage shows the vehicle, a white Alfa Romeo, veering off the road after sideswiping another car before colliding with a third vehicle and slamming into the front of the restaurant. Additional video from inside the restaurant shows debris flying as the car flies through the front window.
Los Angeles Police Department officers have disclosed that the incident was a hit-and-run after the driver took off from the scene on foot with a dog in tow. They did not provide any further information on the suspect.
Witnesses told KCAL News that the driver, who was bleeding from the head and appeared to be wearing an ankle monitor, ran around the car to grab his dog before taking off on foot.
"I turned around and I saw this man, he was like super bloody on his face," said Odalis Alvarez, who witnessed the crash and says that the man grabbed her as he was running. "He was just frantic. He said that he needed to call his wife because he just got into a car accident."
Another witness said that they attempted to follow the driver, since he was obviously injured, but was unable to keep up as the suspect entered a cab a short distance away from the crash.
Police say they will use the ankle monitor in order to locate the driver.
Luckily, Akira Sushi is closed on Mondays so no guests were dining at the time.
LAFD Urban Search and Rescue specialists were assisting with the removal of the vehicle from the building, said Nicholas Prange with the LAFD.
The structural integrity of the building is being assessed by building and safety officials.
Workers finished boarding the front of the building up Monday evening, regretfully informing the public that they would be closed for an extended amount of time for repairs — just two months after opening.
No injuries were reported, as the entire business was empty except for the head chef, who was back in the kitchen at the time of the collision.
The circumstances leading up to the crash remain unclear.
