Beverly Hills carjacking ends in crash that left 4 hurt, including child, near Christmas tree lighting event

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - A suspected carjacker is in handcuffs, but not before he allegedly hit a group of people near a Christmas tree lighting festival with the car he was accused of stealing in Beverly Hills.

The Beverly Hills Police Department responded to a call of a carjacking in the 400 block of North Bedford Drive a little after 7 p.m. A woman told police at the scene the suspect stole her BMW before taking off from the scene.

Shortly after BHPD received a second 9-1-1 call near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Camden Drive – a very short walk away from the site of the Rodeo Drive holiday lighting celebration. At the scene, two men, a woman and a child needed to be taken to the hospital after the hit-and-run crash. The suspected carjacker took off from the scene before police arrived.

Police eventually arrested 22-year-old James Portul, the suspected carjacker, after officers found him in the 200 block of South Beverly Drive. Portul is being booked for carjacking and hit and run with injury, BHPD said.

Officials did not give the conditions of the four people hurt in the hit-and-run crash.