4 Killed, 1 Critically Injured In High-Speed Crash At Brickyard Mall

Updated 06/12/14 - 11:04 a.m.

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Four people were killed and one person was critically injured early Thursday, after a car crashed in the alley at the Brickyard Shopping Center.

Around 3 a.m., a speeding BMW lost control in the service alley behind the Lowe's at 2630 N. Narragansett Av., and smashed into the back wall of the store. Police said the car came within about 5 feet of hitting approximately 100 propane tanks stacked behind the Lowe's

Investigators initially suspected the driver might have been drag racing, but a review of surveillance video from the store showed no other vehicles were involved, although the car was speeding.

"After viewing the video, there does not appear to be any drag racing involved in this incident. It appears to be a high-speed crash that appears to be a loss of control by the vehicle," said Elliott Musial, an investigator with the Major Accident Investigation Unit.

Wet pavement also might have been a factor in the wreck, as it was misting at the time.

Police said five people were in the car at the time of the crash. The driver and front seat passenger were wearing seat belts, but no one in the back seat was. Three males and a female died in the wreck. A fifth passenger was critically injured. She was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

The roof of the BMW had to be cut off to remove the people inside the car.

The victims have been identified so far only as being in their late teens and early 20s.