3 CHP Officers Hurt In Fiery 105 Freeway Crash; Driver Detained

Los Angeles CA

28 April, 2022

1:17 PM

Description

DOWNEY, CA — A driver plowed into a California Highway Patrol vehicle on the eastbound Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway Thursday morning, injuring three officers in a fiery crash, according to the CHP. The driver was detained on suspicion of driving under the influence, and the freeway was closed down for hours, the CHP reported. One of the officers, who was standing outside the patrol vehicle during the crash, suffered serious injuries. Two officers inside the vehicle suffered moderate injuries. The crash occurred in the Downey area just before 1:30 a.m. at the Lakewood Boulevard off-ramp. The officers had been called to the scene to help with a separate crash on the freeway. That's when the SUV plowed into their patrol vehicle, authorities said. Witnesses told officers the driver was speeding when what appeared on television footage to be a light-colored SUV slammed into the patrol car, causing the CHP vehicle to burst into flames. All three were taken to a hospital — the most seriously injured one was rushed a hospital by other CHP officers, rather than waiting for an ambulance. Good Samaritans at the scene helped the two officers who were inside the patrol car get out of the vehicle, Tao said. He said one of the officers was a 16-year veteran of the department, and the other was a female officer with the agency for less than a year. No information was immediately available on the most seriously injured officer. The SUV was traveling at high speed when it crashed into the vehicle, according to witnesses. The driver, a female, was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI, officials said. "The driver did not apply brakes and went straight into the CHP patrol car with all four wheels off the ground," witness Robert Martinez told CBS2, which showed footage of a woman in handcuffs being escorted to a CHP vehicle. It was unclear if the woman was injured in the crash, although ABC7 reported that one civilian was taken to a hospital in addition to the three officers. At least one of the injured officers was taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood in unknown condition, Kimball confirmed. The crash closed all lanes of the eastbound 105 Freeway while the CHP conducted its investigation, but lanes began reopening shortly after 9 a.m. City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.