Suspect Arrested After Beverly Hills Carjacking and Crash Injures Four Near Rodeo Drive Holiday Party

Carjacked Vehicle Collision Near Wilshire Boulevard Leaves Four Injured

A suspect was arrested Thursday night after a carjacking and subsequent vehicle crash that injured multiple people in Beverly Hills, police said in a social media statement.

The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) received a 911 call at approximately 7:06 p.m. on Nov. 14 reporting a carjacking in the 400 block of North Bedford Drive. The victim told officers that an unidentified male suspect used force to steal her black BMW X3 before fleeing the area.

Shortly afterward, a second 911 call reported a vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision. Investigators learned that the driver of the stolen BMW lost control of the vehicle near Wilshire Boulevard and Camden Drive, causing a crash that left multiple people injured. The suspect fled the scene on foot.

BHPD officers working at the Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Celebration quickly detained the suspect in the 200 block of South Beverly Drive.

The crash injured four people: two adult males, one adult female, and one male juvenile, according to BHPD. The Beverly Hills Fire Department transported all victims to local hospitals, and their current conditions were not immediately known. According to reporter Sean Beckner-Carmitchel on social media, a building was damaged.

The suspect, identified as James Portul, 22, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was arrested and booked on charges of carjacking and hit-and-run with injury.