Man killed in patrol car crash
Cruiser was responding to a domestic violence call
Collision leaves a pedestrian dead, two deputies and another pedestrian hurt.
A pedestrian was killed and three other people, including two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, were injured when the deputies’ patrol car hit another vehicle while responding to a call Thursday night.
The deputies were en route to a domestic violence scene about 11:08 p.m. and had lights and siren on as they headed east in the 8800 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, sheriff ’s Cmdr. Keith Swensson said.
As the patrol cruiser approached Palm Avenue, it clipped a vehicle in the roadway, careened onto the sidewalk and struck two pedestrians who were walking in the area, Swensson said. The cruiser continued moving and struck a light pole and a tree.
The male pedestrians were taken to a hospital, where one of them died. The other suffered serious injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, Swensson said.
Firefighters had to cut open the cruiser to rescue the driver of the sheriff ’s car, who was described as a fouryear veteran of the department. The other deputy, a passenger, was able to exit on his own.
The deputies were seriously injured and were described as stable. Their identities were not released.
The California Highway Patrol is conducting an independent investigation to determine what caused the crash.
Santa Monica Boulevard between San Vicente Boulevard and Hancock Avenue was closed as accident investigators collected evidence.