5 injured after pickup drives onto State Street sidewalk in Santa Barbara

Five people were injured Saturday afternoon when a pickup truck drove up onto the sidewalk and struck a building on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.

Crews were dispatched about 12:40 p.m. to Carlito’s Cafe & Cantina in the 1300 block of State Street, said Battalion Chief Mike De Ponce of the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.

The white Toyota Tacoma pickup was headed up State Street when, for unknown reasons, it veered off to the right, knocking down a couple of utility poles and striking the Carlito’s building, De Ponce said.

Four people who were on the sidewalk sustained minor injuries and were taken by AMR ambulances to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, De Ponce said.

The driver of the pickup, whose name was not released, also suffered injuries and was taken to the hospital.

Because of the number of victims, a mass casualty incident was declared, which brought more emergency resources to the scene.

The damage to the building appeared to be minor, De Ponce said.

The incident was under investigation by the Santa Barbara Police Department.

This story was originally published October 7, 2017 at 4:25 PM with the headline "5 injured after pickup drives onto State Street sidewalk in Santa Barbara."