KTTV reporter Hal Eisner, along with a photographer and three others, was injured on Friday after an SUV crashed into a storefront in Hollywood while he was there reporting on the re-opening of the El Capitan Theatre.
Eisner and cameraman Joab Perez were both transported to a nearby hospital, the station said. Two others were injured and transported as well. The Los Angeles Fire Department said all four patients transported are in serious to critical condition. Another injured person declined to be transported.
Shortly after the accident, the Los Angeles Police Department tweeted, “The male driver of the vehicle has been placed under arrest for driving under the influence (DUI).”
Major traffic collision in the area of Hollywood & Highland. Preliminary reports of five pedestrians struck by a vehicle, with three of the victims listed in critical condition. Please avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/VmBfIMkVSB
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) March 19, 2021
KTTV’s Lisette Guzman tweeted from the scene, saying, “Vehicle crashed into a building in Hollywood, striking pedestrians – two of which were OUR crew members working a story. Not sure what caused the crash, but praying everyone is ok! Near Hollywood x Highland.”
Hal Eisner has been a reporter in Los Angeles for over 30 years, having also worked as a correspondent for CNN in the 1980s. According to his website, Eisner has won three Emmys, the 2005 Chris Harris Reporter of the Year Award from The Associated Press Television Radio Association and APTRA’s best reporting award for his coverage of the 2008 Metrolink Train Collision.