In Los Angeles, a driver swerved his car into the oncoming lane and crashed into a group of police cadets who were doing their early-morning jogging session. Only those in the first row can dodge. A police spokesman said it looked like a “terrible accident”.
A car crashed into a group of jogging police cadets in Los Angeles, injuring 25 of them. The 22-year-old driver was arrested at the scene after the incident. It looks like a “terrible accident,” police spokesman Alex Villanueva said. According to press reports, the accident car was traveling in the opposite direction of travel.
According to US media, Villanueva said five of the recruits suffered serious injuries. These were potentially “life-changing,” he said, and included head injuries, broken bones and lost limbs.
According to Villanueva, initial breath alcohol tests showed that the driver was not drunk. The Los Angeles Times quoted police circles as saying that the driver said he was sleepy. The 22-year-old was then subjected to drug tests.
The police candidates were jogging in the morning when the vehicle apparently sped into the group unchecked. “It looked like a plane crash,” said Villanueva. People “with different injuries” were lying everywhere. “It was pretty traumatic for everyone involved.”
The group of around 75 police students reportedly broke out early in the morning to run together – on a route that is often used in the training program for recruits.
Villanueva said only those running in front saw the car because it happened quickly. “They jumped out of the way but the people behind didn’t stand a chance because they never saw it,” said Villanueva. According to one of his colleagues, the car only came to a stop when it hit a light pole.