Naked man hit, killed by LAPD patrol car in Jefferson Park

JEFFERSON PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 27-year-old naked pedestrian was hit and killed by a Los Angeles police car in Jefferson Park, police said Monday.

Police received a call about a naked man running in and out of traffic around 10:20 p.m. Sunday near west Adams Boulevard and Buckingham Road.

Two officers did not see the man, who was lying in the road, and inadvertently ran over him, police said.

"They had already passed where reports of the man lying had occurred, so they deactivated their siren, but they still had their emergency lights on," said LAPD Detective Scott Walton.

The officers stopped to render aid and called LAFD. Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene.

According to some witnesses, the man was homeless and was often seen in the neighborhood.

"He's always around, but we've never seen him act like this before," said one witness, who did not want to be identified. "He's usually just talking to himself, maybe screaming and stuff like that, but he stays on the sidewalk."

Witnesses told police he was in the road with his head facing west and his feet pointing east.

The two officers are said to be shaken up.

"They're very upset about the incident," said Walton. "I have spoken to them briefly and they're very upset about it. They were just driving down the street and all of a sudden there's someone lying in the roadway not where they were expecting, so of course they're very shaken up about it."

But some in the neighborhood believe the officers could have been more careful.

"I'm guessing within 30 seconds, 10 cars passed him and nobody hit him, but here comes this cop car coming fast, and just completely tears the guy up," the unidentified witness said.

One driver who saw the man in the street attempted to make a U-turn to warn the officers, but did not make it in time.

It remains unknown how fast the officers were going at the time, but investigators say they stopped within 25 feet of the collision. The officers are being interviewed and dash cam footage will be looked at.