Police said four vehicles were involved in the Sunday crash at Imperial Highway and Inglewood Avenue.
HAWTHORNE, CA — One person died and three others were injured Sunday after a four-vehicle crash at a busy Hawthorne intersection, where firefighters had to cut two people out of a damaged vehicle, police said.
The crash drew a large emergency response to Imperial Highway and Inglewood Avenue shortly before noon and left debris scattered across the roadway. Hawthorne police said the cause remained under investigation. The crash closed the intersection for several hours before the roadway reopened later Sunday.
Officers were called to the intersection around 11:45 a.m. Sunday after reports of a violent multi-vehicle collision. When they arrived, they found four vehicles with major damage and several injured people, the Hawthorne Police Department said. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews responded and extricated two occupants from one of the vehicles. Four people were taken to nearby hospitals, including two who police described as being in extremely critical condition. One of the injured people died after arriving at a hospital. Authorities had not released that person’s name by early Monday, pending notification of relatives.
Police said a blue SUV collided with another vehicle, setting off a chain-reaction crash that involved four vehicles. Video from the scene showed wrecked vehicles and broken parts across the intersection. A witness told a local television station that it appeared the driver who started the crash did not want to stop for a red light. Police had not confirmed whether a red-light violation, speed, impairment or any other factor caused the crash. Investigators also had not said whether any driver had been detained, cited or arrested. The conditions of the surviving victims were not fully released, though police said at least one person remained extremely critical Sunday evening.
The crash happened at one of Hawthorne’s major crossroads, just east of Los Angeles International Airport and near the boundary between Hawthorne and Inglewood. Imperial Highway is a major east-west route across the South Bay, while Inglewood Avenue carries local and commuter traffic through residential and commercial areas. The Sunday timing placed the crash in daylight, but officials did not release details about traffic signal timing, vehicle speeds or the directions each vehicle was traveling. Investigators were expected to review roadway evidence, vehicle damage, witness accounts and any available video from nearby businesses or drivers.
The Hawthorne Police Department’s Traffic Bureau is leading the investigation. Police asked witnesses and anyone with video of the crash to contact investigators. No court case had been announced Monday, and police had not identified a suspected violation. The Los Angeles County medical examiner was expected to handle the formal identification of the person who died. Any decision on possible charges would depend on the crash findings and, if needed, review by prosecutors. Police did not give a date for their next update.
Images from the scene showed a wide emergency perimeter as crews worked around mangled vehicles and scattered debris. One survivor was seen being taken from the area on a stretcher. The crash left visible damage across the intersection and forced drivers to use alternate routes while police documented the scene. Hawthorne police said two occupants had to be freed because of the severity of the collision. Officials did not release the ages, hometowns or genders of the four people taken to hospitals.
The intersection has reopened, but the crash investigation remains active. Police said the next major step is collecting witness statements and video that could show how the four vehicles came together before the fatal impact.
Author note: Last updated May 18, 2026.