Frantic Effort To Save Teens From Fiery Crash Captured On LAPD Bodycam

LOS ANGELES, CA — Body camera footaged released by the Los Angeles Police Department this week captured the frantic effort to save two teenagers trapped in the burning wreckage of a crash that killed a 16-year-old girl in Encino last momth.

The car was being driven by a 14-year-old girl, according to the LAPD. Officers were able to save the driver and her front-seat passenger, but the teen in the backseat perished in the fire. The fatal crash involving a 14-year-old driver rattled the community.

The crash happened on the rainy night of Feb. 20 shortly after police pulled up alongside a Toyota Camry driving without headlights at the intersection of Balboa and Burbank Boulevards, said Capt. Kelly Muniz. The officers tried to pull over the Camry, but the driver fled, according to police.

Because of the rainy roadway conditions, officers opted not to chase the driver, turning off their patrol SUV's siren and following slowly at a distance. Seconds later, sercurity camera footage shows the Camry failing to navigate a high-speed left turn at Ventura and Balboa bouelvards, slamming into a traffic light head-on.

By the time the patrol unit catches up with them, the wreckage has caught fire, and the teens are trapped inside and obscured by the vehicle's airbags, the bodycam footage shows.

"Can you get out?" an officer says while tapping on the front passenger window.

"No," comes a faint voice inside.

"Watch out. I'm going to pop the airbag," the officer says while stabbing at the airbag with a knife. "I can't open it. I need to get you out of the car. Watch out. I'm going to break the window."

"I can't open the car. You've got to get out, get out, get out," the officer shouts as smoke engulfs the vehicle.

"I can't open it. I can't get out. My leg's hurting," the teen front passgenger said.

"Drag her, drag her, drag her, drag, her. Get the driver out," an officer yells as they drag the passenger away from the burning car.

Another officer arrives and shatters the driver's window, pulling her out in seconds as flames engulfed the front seat area.

"After questioning the driver and passenger, the officers discovered that there was possibly a third occupant in the rear passenger area," said Muniz. "The officers made multiple attempts to gain entry into the rear passenger area but were unsuccesful."

The video captures the confusion as several of the officers believed they got the only two occupants to safety while a one of the officers races to get a fire extinguisher to save the backseat victim. By then, several officers warn that the vehicle might explode.

The Multi-Disciplinary Collision Investigation Team will continue to investigate the crash over the next several months for filing consideration with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, said Muniz.

WARNING: This video contains graphic footage involving a fatal car crash in Los Angeles.