A California Highway Patrol officer and a tow truck driver were both seriously injured in Southern California on Thursday morning when a suspected drunken driver reportedly caused a freeway crash.
According to authorities, the driver of a Nissan was speeding westbound on Interstate 10 near downtown Los Angeles around 10:30 a.m. when the vehicle hit the officer’s motorcycle, which was parked near the center median while the officer was helping clear an earlier crash.
“The motorcycle was then pushed into the officer, the officer was then pushed into the vehicles that were on the freeway,” CHP Officer Roberto Gomez said, according to FOX 11 in Los Angeles.
The suspected DUI driver’s vehicle also hit a disabled Toyota Prius that had been in the earlier crash and a tow truck driver was also struck by the motorcycle, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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The crash forced law enforcement to close several lanes of the freeway for hours.
The suspect tried to get out of his car and flee but was detained by a bystander, FOX 11 reported.
“I saw a guy get out and he jumped over the wall, jumped over to the eastside of the freeway. And I see him approaching cars, going up to cars like asking for a ride or trying to get into the car,” a witness told FOX 11.
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The driver was arrested for suspected DUI at the hospital, KTLA-TV in Los Angeles reported.
The CHP officer and the tow truck driver were both hospitalized. It was unclear if anyone else required medical attention. The victims’ medical conditions were not immediately known.
It was also unclear what charges the alleged DUI driver may face.
