Driver Killed After Slamming Into Building: 'It Sounded Like A Huge Explosion'

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A driver died after crashing into a vacant building in the Pico-Robertson area Thursday morning.

Just before 6 a.m., an Infiniti sedan careened into a building in the 8900 block of West Pico Boulevard.

"It just sounded like a huge explosion, like a bomb," neighbor Shlomo Dahan told CBS2.

Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded and pronounced the driver dead at the scene. The driver's gender and name were not immediately disclosed. No one was inside the building at the time.

"The building was unoccupied at the time of the crash, so there were no other victims inside," Los Angeles police Lt. Lonnie Tiano said.

Police investigators are unsure what exactly caused the Infiniti to veer off the road. However, Dahan said it appeared that the Infinti was involved in a street race just prior to crashing.

"It was drifting, and then it spun, and then it crashed into the wall, it was racing, they were racing," Dahan said.

He also saw a second vehicle speeding away from the area.

L.A. Department of Building and Safety officials were on scene to determine the extent of the damage to the building.

"It was a violent crash, but from the debris field I can't tell how fast somebody may have been going," Tiano said.