Man lying in Van Nuys parking lot killed by semi truck, authorities say

A 55-year-old man who was lying on the ground in a Van Nuys parking lot was killed Thursday by a semi truck, according to law enforcement authorities.

A report of a traffic collision came in to the Los Angeles Police Department around 1:57 p.m. Thursday, said Kevin Terzus, a spokesman for the police department. The incident occurred in a parking lot near the intersection of Van Nuys Blvd. and Vanowen St.

The vehicle, a semi truck emblazoned with the Jon’s Marketplace logo, was traveling westbound in the parking lot of a shopping complex which included a Jon’s Marketplace supermarket when it collided with a pedestrian who was lying in the roadway.

Photos obtained by KTLA show that police had cordoned off a section of the parking lot and covered a portion of the underside of the truck with tarps and cones. It was unclear whether the victim was still under the vehicle at the time the images were captured.

Los Angeles Fire Department officials responded and pronounced the man dead at the scene. Authorities have not released the man’s identity. The Valley Traffic division of LAPD investigation is ongoing, Terzus said.