A woman was struck and killed by a bus in South Los Angeles Saturday morning who may have been riding or carrying her bike, which authorities said was stolen after she was hit.
The woman was identified as 56-year-old Ena Orquidea Villalobos, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.
Authorities responded to reports of a bus colliding with a pedestrian about 8:30 a.m. in the 5700 block of South Figueroa, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
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Two friends were at work when they saw the Arana Tour Line bus hit Villalobos.
"When she tried to get to the other side of the street, the light turned yellow," witness Alfread Izquerdo saod. "When it turned yellow, she tried to hurry up and get to the other side before it turned red."
Los Angeles police say the bus driver had the right of way when he turned left on the Slauson Avenue.
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"If you were to look both ways, you would've seen the bus coming," Izquerdo said.
Shortly after the crash, the woman's bike was nowhere to be found, and police believe it may have been stolen. The woman reportedly lived in the area.
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"When I heard her screaming, that was it," said Alex Tenorio, Izquerdo's friend and witness to the crash. "She got caught off guard and she got hit. It was bad, really bad."
Meanwhile, just blocks away, an LAFD ambulance on the way to the accident was knocked onto its side when it collided with two cars near Slauson Avenue and Hoover Street, officials said.
Police say one of the cars ran a red light. Two firefighters and a driver of one of the cars were taken to the hospital and were in fair condition Saturday night.
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NBC4 I-Team investigations have uncovered tour bus companies whose drivers were distracted while behind the wheel, and other companies that have violated numerous federal safety regulations. Arana Tour Line was not named in those investigations.
