STUDIO CITY >> A former NBA basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Clippers and a woman reported to be his wife were killed Wednesday morning after their Range Rover struck parking meters, a wall and rolled into a parking lot, authorities said.
Rasual Butler, 38, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 11200 block of Ventura Boulevard, said Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
Investigators surround a destroyed Range Rover after the vehicle, which was traveling west on Ventura Boulevard. early Wednesday morning, left the roadway at a very high rate of speed, went though a wrought-iron fence and landed in the Marshall’s parking lot in Studio City. A man and woman were killed in the solo crash, later reported to be former NBA player Rasual Butler and his wife, singer Leah LaBelle. (Photo by Mike Meadows for the Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Investigators surround a destroyed Range Rover after the vehicle, which was traveling west on Ventura Boulevard. early Wednesday morning, left the roadway at a very high rate of speed, went though a wrought-iron fence and landed in the Marshall’s parking lot in Studio City. A man and woman were killed in the solo crash, later reported to be former NBA player Rasual Butler and his wife, singer Leah LaBelle. (Photo by Mike Meadows for the Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Investigators surround a destroyed Range Rover after the vehicle, which was traveling west on Ventura Boulevard. early Wednesday morning, left the roadway at a very high rate of speed, went though a wrought-iron fence and landed in the Marshall’s parking lot in Studio City. A man and woman were killed in the solo crash, later reported to be former NBA player Rasual Butler and his wife, singer Leah LaBelle. (Photo by Mike Meadows for the Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Investigators are on scene early Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City after a Range Rover crashed into several objects before hitting a Marshalls store near Arch Drive. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed. (Photo by Wes Woods II/Los Angeles Daily News)
Butler played for the Clippers from 2009-2011 and the small forward/shooting guard also played for a number of teams. This included being drafted and playing for the Miami Heat in 2002 and later the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors among other teams. He last played preseason basketball for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2016.
The passenger has not been identified pending next of kin, Winter said. Media reports – and a former NBA player – have reported that she was Butler’s wife, singer Leah LaBelle.
Video of a destroyed vehicle in front of Marshalls on Ventura Boulevard in #StudioCity after a double fatal crash earlier this morning pic.twitter.com/LHpWgBUKeX
The crash was reported around 2:30 a.m. on Ventura Boulevard near Arch Drive, said Officer J. Mayorga of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division.
Former NBA player Matt Barnes Tweeted a statement of respect on Wednesday for Butler and his wife after the crash. His comment read in part “Rip to the homie Rasual Butler & his wife!! Condolences to the butler family & friends.”
Rip to the homie Rasual Butler & his wife!! Condolences to the butler family & friends. Damn Bro
The vehicle had only two occupants, a male and a female, who were both pronounced dead at the scene, he said.
The vehicle crashed into several fixed objects, Mayorga said. Video from the scene showed the vehicle had crashed into and damaged Marshalls store.
Police said the vehicle was a new Range Rover that was likely speeding, judging by the debris.
Ventura Boulevard, from Vineland to Tujunga avenues, was closed for the investigation. Eastbound Ventura re-opened shortly before 6 a.m., and westbound Ventura was slated to re-open a few minutes later, police said.
Please accept our sincerest condolences. As you navigate this deeply difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with you, the victims and their loved ones who died in roadway tragedies.
While you take care of yourself and your family, let the legal team at Rafii & Associates, P.C. fight for you. Our personal injury attorneys have decades of experience extracting multi-million dollar settlements from the largest insurance companies. If you or your loved ones were harmed by an auto accident, call us today for a free evaluation of your case: 1-800-262-9885. Hablamos Español, para asistencia inmediata, llámenos.
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