Cellphone video shows semi-truck crushing SUV after apparent road rage confrontation spanning several miles in Pacoima, with LAPD citing possible family dispute.
A cellphone video captured a violent road rage crash in Pacoima that left a black SUV crushed under a semi-truck. The incident occurred Friday, April 24, on San Fernando Road near Paxton Street, just before the on-ramp to the 118 Freeway.
The footage shows the SUV repeatedly cutting in front of the semi-truck before the truck slams into it and crushes the smaller vehicle. Traffic was frozen on the busy stretch of the Valley as the collision played out.
According to KTLA, the crash happened on San Fernando Road near Paxton Street, just before the on-ramp to the 118 Freeway. The SUV appeared to intentionally swerve and cut in front of the semi-truck before the truck smashed into it.
A witness who handed over the video to reporters told them the two vehicles had been locked in an ongoing confrontation for several miles before the impact. The witness said the SUV kept pulling in front of the semi-truck, a detail that matches what is seen in the raw footage.
The video was shared with RMG News, and the witness who supplied the footage described the scene as a shocking act of apparent road rage involving a large truck on a Pacoima street.
An LAPD spokesperson told KTLA the incident appeared to be a family dispute. Officers had not immediately confirmed whether anyone would be cited or arrested following the crash.
KTLA reported that it had requested additional information from the Los Angeles Police Department but did not receive an immediate update on the investigation.
Traffic safety experts point out that cutting sharply in front of a tractor-trailer is especially dangerous because commercial trucks have large blind spots, often called no-zones, and need much more distance to slow or stop than smaller cars.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FMCSA urges drivers to stay out of a truck's no-zones and to give big rigs extra space when merging or passing. The agency warns that those blind spots can make a car effectively disappear from a truck driver's view.
This incident has raised concerns about road safety in the Valley, where traffic congestion and commercial truck traffic are common on major corridors like San Fernando Road.
This article was generated with AI assistance.