Whittier crash: Suspect accused of ‘deliberately’ driving into sheriff recruits released
‘Life-altering’ injuries suffered by some runners
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Authorities have identified a suspect arrested after an SUV crashed into a group of law enforcement recruits out on a training run on Wednesday morning in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier.
As many as 25 of the group of 75 were taken to local hospitals. Five were listed in critical condition with head trauma, a possible amputation, and lacerations, according to reports.
The suspect detained at the scene by authorities has now been named as Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez, 22.
He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and may have been under the influence of a recreational drug when the crash occurred, Fox 11 reported. Gutierrez passed a field sobriety test and blew a 0.0 in his blood alcohol check. He is due in court on Friday.
The recruits attend the Sheriff’s Training Academy and Regional Services Center located roughly a mile and a half from the crash site. Recruits are often seen running in the vicinity in packs with outrunners wearing high-visibility gear.
Aerial footage showed debris strewn across the roadway as first responders tended to the wounded and a surveillance camera caught the shocking moment on video.
Recap: Vehicle plows into LA law enforcement recruits
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Vehicle plows into police recruits on morning run injuring 22
‘The car was completely wrecked, like the whole front end was done,’ witness says
Watch: Girlfriend of injured recruit speaks out after crash
What we know about the crash so far
The number of injured has since increased to 25.
Everything we know about California car crash that injured 22 sheriff’s police cadets
‘Everyone was kind of in a panic, there [were] cables on fire and the car was smoking ... it was really a graphic scene,’ witness says
Driver who plowed over at least 25 recruits was sober during field test, police say
The 22-year-old driver, who was detained at the scene of the crash, is reportedly cooperating with authorities, police say.
The man, whose name has not been released, reportedly told police he was “sleepy” at the time of the accident, the Los Angeles Times reported.
At the time, officers said they didn’t detect an odour of alcohol on his breath and the 22-year-old later passed a field sobriety test after he blew 0.0, NBC News reported.
Watch: LA County Sheriff gives press conference on Whittier incident
How did the incident unfold?
According to the local sheriff’s department, the driver veered from the southbound lane and plowed into recruits who were running in formation on the edge of the northbound lane adjacent to the curb.
The recruits were running in four columns with eight road guards who wear reflective high-visibility vests.
In addition to that, drill instructors and safety vehicles accompanied recruits on the run.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva spoke with the recruits who were running at the front of the formation.
“It happened so quickly,” Mr Villanueva told a press conference. “They jumped out of the way, but the people behind had no chance. They never saw it.”
It is estimated that the SUV was traveling at between 30 to 40mph, and there were no signs of skid marks on the roadway. The vehicle then hit a light pole bringing it to a stop and destroying the front end.
Angelica Musick, the girlfriend of one of the victims, told Good Day LA that her boyfriend said the driver still had his foot on the accelerator and he had attempted to break the car’s window to make him stop.
The investigation continues.
Everything we know about LA car crash that injured 25 police recruits
At least 25 police recruits have been injured after a group of trainees was struck by a vehicle driven by a 22-year-old man while they were out for a morning run in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier.
Here, Gustaf Kilander provides an update on everything that we know about the suspect, when the crash happened, who the victims are and what condition they’re in.
Everything we know about LA car crash that injured 25 police recruits
‘Everyone was kind of in a panic, there [were] cables on fire and the car was smoking ... it was really a graphic scene,’ witness says
Everything we know about the driver that plowed into LA deputy recruits
Five of the recruits are in critical condition, which were described by officials as being “life altering”, while four suffered moderate injuries, and 14, including the driver, are being treated for minor injuries, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
There is little information currently available about the driver of the car.
What is known is that the driver is a 22-year-old Hispanic man, who was detained at the scene of the crash. He is being treated for minor injuries resulting from the incident and reportedly is cooperating with police.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the man told police he was “sleepy” at the time of the accident. Law enforcement officials said they did not detect the odour of alcohol on the man’s breath.
Later, LAPD Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed that the 22-year-old had passed a field sobriety test after the crash and blew 0.0 in a blood alcohol test.
Here, The Independent breaks down everything we know about the driver in the crash that injured at least 25 police recruits.
Everything we know about the driver that plowed into LA deputy recruits
The motorist was from the nearby city of Diamond Bar, according to law enforcement officials
Witness describes chaos on the scene: ‘No one could ever imagine for this to happen'
A witness, only identified as Joseph, told ABC7 that “the street is really dangerous and it’s a main street but there’s so much foot traffic and also just regular traffic and there’s always people speeding or driving drunk through here”.
He added that it’s not “uncommon to hear a crash outside of the house like that. But I’ve never seen something this bad”.
Joseph said that he and other residents rushed to help, bringing water and towels.
“The car was completely wrecked, like the whole front end was done,” he told ABC7. “The light pole was on the floor ... it was like three or four of us neighbours that came out because this has happened before. We’ve lived here for 10 years. It’s happened before like where a car crashes into a gate, but this was like ... no one could ever imagine for this to happen.”
“There were so many people. Everyone was kind of in various conditions, some were unconscious, some were still conscious, some with really bad injuries to their legs. There was people bleeding from their face,” he said.
“The sheriff’s academy ... like they run through here all the time so you feel kind of connected to them,” the witness told the local TV station. “So it was a really crazy thing to wake up to.”
Pasadena police force issues condolences for police recruits injured in crash
Of the 25 recruits who were injured, two were from the Bell and Glendale police departments, one came from Pasadena forces and the remaining 20 were Los Angeles sheriff’s recruits, officials said.
In a statement on Twitter late Wednesday night, the Pasadena police force extended their “thoughts and prayers” to all of the recruits who were injured during the crash near Whittier.
“On behalf of the members of the Pasadena PD, we extend our thoughts and prayers to the recruits and agencies affected by the incident from earlier today. We wish all of the recruits a speedy recovery and we thank everyone who has expressed support and well wishes to our recruit.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies