A customer deliberately drove his SUV into a CarMax dealership in Inglewood, California, on Saturday afternoon, injuring eight people. The incident occurred at the La Cienega Boulevard location, shattering the building’s glass panels and inciting an emergency response.

The customer, who had his vehicle appraised, left the building after an altercation, got into his car, and then intentionally drove into the dealership

The LAPD received a report of a disturbance at the dealership around 2:03 p.m. Several employees and customers were struck in the process.

After the crash, the driver attempted to flee. Officers caught up with him at a nearby location. Authorities made the arrest, and the suspect remains in the custody of the Inglewood Police Department. Officials have yet to release the individual’s identity or possible motives.

Initial reports to L.A. County Fire suggested an active shooter situation, but first responders later determined it was a vehicular attack

Emergency crews arrived around 2:10 p.m. and upgraded the incident classification to a “vehicle into a structure,” KTLA said.

Responders counted eight victims and transported two of them in critical condition. The remaining six sustained minor injuries and EMS treated them at the scene. As of 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, officials shared that the injured individuals were all classified “stable.”

In a statement, CarMax confirmed the incident and expressed concern for the victims

“This afternoon, a customer drove through our Inglewood, California store, hitting and injuring several associates and customers who are receiving care at the hospital at this time,” the company shared. “The safety of our associates, community, and customers is our top priority. We are deeply saddened by this event and our hearts go out to everyone impacted.”

CarMax relies heavily on its trade-in business

As the largest used car retailer in the U.S., CarMax processes hundreds of thousands of trade-ins each year. CarMax’s fiscal year 2024 report, the company purchased 234,000 vehicles from consumers and dealers in the fourth quarter alone.

That figure suggests that CarMax acquires nearly a million vehicles annually through trade-ins and direct purchases. The Inglewood location, like others, regularly handles high volumes of vehicle appraisals.