A speeding vehicle crashed into the Pico Youth and Family Center Saturday night causing thousands of dollars in damage and shuttering several businesses on the block.
PYFC Director Oscar de la Torre said security cameras captured the incident at about 10:20 p.m. He said two men in a rented Bentley SUV lost control of the vehicle on Westbound Pico near the intersection of Pico and Lincoln. The car spun several times before the PYFC building. Residents reported hearing the crash several blocks away.
Trees and a light pole were destroyed in the collision sending debris through the glass front of the youth center. Two restaurants were also damaged in the accident. Several windows were boarded over at Red's Pizza and car oil covered the front doors of Boba Lab. Both businesses adjacent to PYFC.
No information was available on the condition of the individuals in the car but no-one was hurt in the building.
“We had youth participants working on music production at the time. Large pieces of concrete from the light pole the car took out blasted through the glass storefront barely missing staff and youth,” said de la Torre. “It looked like a bomb exploded taking out numerous windows and causing major damage to equipment and facilities at PYFC.”
He estimated the damage at between $20-30,000 and said the center would be looking for community support in the coming days.
“We hope people will really help us out,” he said.
PYFC is a community center on Pico Boulevard that provides after-school and creative space for high school students in Santa Monica. The center provides a multitude of programs, including employment opportunities, cooking classes, internship connections and a professional recording studio.
For more information, visit http://picoyouth.org/
