Gangster crashes near Beverly Hills lighting up trees; 4 is painful, said the police

A Beverly Hills man was arrested Thursday evening on suspicion of stealing a car and injuring four people in a crash near a holiday tree lighting ceremony, authorities said.

The incident happened shortly after 7:00 p.m. near Wilshire Boulevard and Camden Drive, a remote area where hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate the annual Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department.

“A black car came really fast, really fast … it was speeding and then it lost control, it swerved and hit a crowd of people,” another witness told KTLA.

The police arrested James Portul, 22, from Pennsylvania in this incident, which injured two men, one woman and a boy, according to the Police Department. All four victims were taken to local hospitals; Their conditions were not known, according to police.

The Police Department received a call about a carjacking in the 400 block of North Bedford Drive at 7:06 p.m. The victim said a man stole his BMW X3 and fled the scene, police said.

Shortly thereafter, the department received a call about a nearby vehicle collision. The police believe that the suspect who hijacked the car lost control of the car, crashed it and then fled.

Officers assigned to light up during the holidays helped search for the suspect in the 200 block of South Beverly Drive, according to police.