LAPD Patrol Vehicle Fatally Strikes Kristine Poulos in Valley Glen (Update)

Update November 4, 2026: The victim has been identified by authorities as Kristine Poulos, 32. Our condolences at J&Y Law go out to the victim and her family.

LOS ANGELES, CA – A 32-year-old woman died late Saturday, Oct. 31, after a Los Angeles Police Department patrol vehicle struck her on Woodman Avenue in Valley Glen while an officer was driving to an emergency call, authorities said. The collision was reported at about 11:30 p.m. near Bessemer Street, and Los Angeles firefighters pronounced the woman dead at the scene. No officers were injured.

The initial collision account placed the impact in the 6100 block of Woodman Avenue. The patrol vehicle came from the North Hollywood Division and was traveling to assist officers at a Halloween house party on Weddington Street in Sherman Oaks. Police had received a report of shots fired as a crowd estimated at about 300 people gathered at the home.

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Emergency Response and Conflicting Crosswalk Accounts

The officer was driving with the patrol vehicle’s emergency lights and siren activated, according to the reported response details. Officers eventually dispersed the party without reporting any injuries there. Public accounts did not establish that a shooting had occurred, but the backup request sent the North Hollywood unit toward the gathering before the fatal collision.

Early descriptions of the pedestrian’s location were inconsistent. One account said police described her as being in a crosswalk. Another account, citing an LAPD spokesperson, said she was outside a marked crosswalk. The department had not resolved that discrepancy in its public information by Tuesday, and investigators had not announced a finding about the woman’s movement immediately before impact.

Rain had left the roadway wet that night, although authorities had not determined whether the conditions contributed to the crash. A witness described hearing a heavy impact and then seeing the patrol car stopped sideways in the street. Police had not released the officer’s speed, the vehicle’s precise path or the distance from which the pedestrian could be seen.

Collision Team Continues Investigation in Kristine Poulos Accident

The latest public account identified the woman only by her age and said the patrol vehicle was on Woodman Avenue between Bessemer and Erwin streets when it struck her. Her name remained withheld while the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner completed family notification. Authorities also had not publicly identified the officer driving the unit.

LAPD’s Multidisciplinary Collision Investigation Team continued reviewing the crash. The department had not assigned fault, announced a citation or described whether the vehicle’s emergency equipment, roadway conditions or the pedestrian’s position would affect its final findings. The investigation remained open as officials worked to reconcile the differing crosswalk descriptions and complete the formal collision review.