A suspected street race ended with a driver crashing into seven parked cars in a Los Angeles neighbourhood.

Diane Carpenter told KABC-TV she ran to the scene on Wednesday night in the Reseda area of the San Fernando Valley when she heard three bangs that sounded like explosions.

The vehicles were demolished or heavily damaged.

Three people were injured, including two suspected drivers, authorities told the station.

Driven by popular culture and social media, street racing is a persistent and deadly problem in southern California.

The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this year that an analysis of Los Angeles County coroner's records found that from 2000 to 2017 at least 179 people died in accidents where street racing was suspected.

Most were male and young.