Officer hurt in crash that involved Mayor Butts

Collision sends SUV being driven by the Inglewood leader into an LAPD sergeant and his motorcycle.

An LAPD motorcycle sergeant was seriously injured as a result of a crash Tuesday morning near USC involving Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr., law enforcement sources told The Times.

Butts was attempting to make a left turn onto the USC campus, possibly against a red light, when his vehicle was struck by another car, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the case with the media.

Butts’ vehicle then spun and collided with the sergeant, whose motorcycle was parked on the sidewalk.

The force of the collision sent both the sergeant and his motorcycle into a nearby fountain, the law enforcement official said.

Butts could not be reached for comment by phone, text message or email, and one of the mayor’s assistants declined to comment.

The sergeant was taken to a hospital. No one else was injured, and the other driver stayed at the scene.

Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Officer Jeff Lee declined to comment on Butts’ involvement and referred additional questions to Inglewood officials.

LAPD Capt. Gisselle Espinoza, a department spokeswoman, confirmed the vehicle that struck the officer was registered to the City of Inglewood.

Sources said the sergeant suffered several broken bones.

David Carlisle, assistant chief of USC’s Department of Public Safety, said the crash occurred near the Pardee Way entrance to campus and had tied up traffic in the area “all day.”

No students were involved in the incident, said Carlisle, who said the LAPD will solely handle the investigation.

Times staff writers Richard Winton, Angel Jennings and Jaclyn Cosgrove contributed to this report.