Police are investigating a violent car crash in Worcester early Sunday morning that left a city business damaged and at least one person hospitalized, officials said.

Officers responding to a reported motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Chandler and Piedmont streets about 2 a.m. found a large, unruly crowd surrounding two seriously damaged vehicles — one of which had slammed through the front of a nearby business, police said.

When they arrived on the scene, a 39-year-old man was still trapped inside a gold 2011 Nissan Murano that had crashed through the front of 133 Chandler St., leaving the building badly damaged. Worcester firefighters were later able to free the man, whose name was not released.

The driver of the other vehicle involved, a 2002 Toyota Avalon, fled the scene after the accident, police said. A passenger who had been riding in the car at the time of the crash was later located and taken to the hospital.

Members of the Worcester Police Department’s Accident Reconstruction team responded to the scene and determined the Nissan Murano was traveling west on Chandler Street when it was struck by the Avalon as it traveled north on Piedmont Street. Investigators are still looking for the driver of the Toyota.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or who may have information about the incident is urged to call Worcester police at 508-799-8651.

This is a developing news story, 7News will add more information as it becomes available.

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