Car hits naked man who ran out into busy street in Ladera Heights

ByABC7.com staff and Amy Powell KABC logo
Saturday, May 18, 2024
Nude man hit by car after running into busy street in Ladera Heights
The video shows the man jump over a fence at his family's home and dart straight into the street, dodging one vehicle but then flipping over the hood of a car.

LADERA HEIGHTS, Calif (KABC) -- Stunning video shows a car on a busy Ladera Heights road strike a nude man after he ran out into traffic apparently during a mental-health crisis.

The video shows the man jump over a fence at his family's home and dart straight into the street, dodging one vehicle but then ending up flipping over the hood of a car.

Gerardo Garcia was on the job with a co-worker delivering medical equipment when he saw the man jump from an apartment building.

"Me and my buddy were just like 'What? What's going on? Are we being pranked?' And he just ran cross us and a lady in a car just hits him," Garcia recounted.

The man manages to get up after being struck, but he's seen in another video back down on the street. It's unknown if he was hit by a second vehicle.

Moments later, deputies arrive and surround him.

"He did get up. He started walking toward some vehicles, and that's when the police officers all arrive," Garcia said.

The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. Thursday on Slauson Avenue near Edgemar Avenue in Ladera Heights.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says the man's family called deputies to the home for assistance. It is believed the man was suffering from a mental-health crisis and had self-inflicted lacerations.

He was transported to a local hospital where he was described as being in stable condition.