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A school bus carrying 54 high school students was turned onto its side when it was involved in a crash that left one person dead this afternoon. The incident occurred around 3:20 p.m. at 1st and Soto in Boyle Heights (map) under circumstances still under investigation by the California Highway Patrol, which takes the lead on school bus crashes. The fatality was initially reported to be the driver of the passenger car but one live KABC-TV report, based on a witness, suggested that the fatality could be a cyclist or pedestrian, which officials are confirming as a possibility (plus an odd twist: the people in the passenger vehicle fled the scene, returned for a gun and were caught by police. The only confirmation is that two men have been detained).
Of the students from Roosevelt High School, 16 were put on basic life support with non-life threatening injuries.
The Metro Gold Line Soto Station is closed, officials said. Trains will bypass the station and make stops at Mariachi Plaza and Indiana Stations.
Update: 5:10 p.m: At a press conference, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said that the preliminary investigation has revealed that a black BMW ran a red light causing the crash resulting in the death of a pedestrian. The driver and passenger of the BMW fled the scene, but was detained by at least one person (a construction worker) and held until police arrived. The intersection is expected be closed for several hours.
