Two young brothers in California took their parents’ car and crashed into a woman while she was walking her dog leaving her critically injured, according to reports from CBS News and local outlet ABC7.

The crash happened Aug. 6 around 9:30 a.m. in the area of 35th Avenue and Mangels Avenue in East Oakland’s Bartlett neighborhood, according to Oakland Police Department. Police said when officers arrived they discovered a woman in her 30s had been struck. Investigators told CBS News, the boys, ages 4 and 7, were inside a white Toyota Camry that was being driven by the 7-year-old when it struck another vehicle, lost control and hit the woman, who was walking her dog in a crosswalk.

The woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition and both children were also injured and transported to a hospital in stable condition, according to Oakland Police.

According to ABC7, the boys had taken the vehicle from their home while their parents were asleep and that the crash occurred several blocks away from where the family lives. Oakland Police said the parents have been cooperating with the investigation.

USA TODAY has reached out to the Oakland Police Department for more information on the incident.

Witnesses describe chaotic crash scene

Surveillance video and witness accounts described the sedan speeding down the street before the collision.

“It was loud,” witness Lavelle Shah-Marquis told ABC7. “I pray that she’s okay, but it was bad.”

Bystander video showed people performing CPR on the injured woman and on one of the children before first responders arrived. Witness Anthony Hudson told CBS News the efforts continued until police and paramedics reached the scene.

Shah-Marquis said two Good Samaritans rushed to help keep the woman alive until emergency crews arrived.

Investigation continues as questions remain

Oakland Police said their investigation found that the vehicle the children were in was traveling northbound when they hit another vehicle traveling southbound. That’s when the vehicle they were in lost control striking the woman walking her dog, police said.

Authorities are continuing to investigate exactly how the children gained access to the vehicle.

The woman’s dog ran from the scene after the crash but was later found unharmed, according to the East Bay Times.

Oakland Police said it is unknown at this time if drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash. Authorities are asking anyone with information, photos or video related to the crash to contact the department’s traffic investigation unit at 510-777-8570 or cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.

Could anyone face charges?

The unusual circumstances have raised questions about whether anyone could face criminal charges.

Former prosecutor and legal analyst Steven Clark told ABC7 he believes criminal accountability for the children is unlikely because of their ages, though investigators could examine whether the parents’ level of supervision played a role. He said the case is more likely to result in civil proceedings than criminal charges.

Dr. Shivani Chmura, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, told ABC7 that children that young are not developmentally capable of fully understanding the consequences of their actions and said they should receive counseling rather than blame following such a traumatic event.

This story has been updated to add in new information.

Contributing: Bianca Harris, USA TODAY

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT