3 Critically Hurt After Car Slams Into Restaurant Near Echo Park

LOS ANGELES -- Five people were hurt -- three of them critically -- when a vehicle slammed into a restaurant Sunday at a strip mall in the Westlake district, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The crash into the South Alvarado Street eatery was reported at 5:09 p.m., fire department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.

Three people were taken to a trauma center in critical condition, and two people were sent to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, she said.

Despite the injuries, there was no loss of structural integrity at the restaurant, Stewart said.

City News Service contributed to this report.