Posted: 15:23, November 16, 2022 | Updated: 16:19, 16 November 2022
At least 22 new sheriff’s deputies were injured, five of them in critical condition, after their crew was hit by a speeding driver in California on Wednesday morning. Chad Sourbeer, a battalion chief with the Los Angeles Fire Department, told ABC 7 that between 40 and 50 recruits were out for a morning run in the area of Mills Avenue and Trumball Street in Whittier, California around 6:25 a.m. when a driver plowed into the training platoon. Five of those recruits are already in critical condition, while another four were more moderately injured. Aerial footage from KTLA showed a gray SUV appeared to have hit a pole on the nearby sidewalk and sustained heavy front-end damage. Police confirmed the driver was given a field sobriety test and taken into custody. The results of the field sobriety test are currently unknown. Aerial footage shows a gray SUV at the scene, which apparently crashed into a pole Authorities at the scene are pictured carrying a bloodied victim to an ambulance Some were treated at the scene, while others were taken to local hospitals Some victims appear to have been taken to a local hospital, while others were treated at the scene. Others were also said to have been airlifted to nearby hospitals. Authorities were seen desperately trying to revive one of the victims, who had a bloody head wound. Roads in the area were blocked for emergency crews to transport the victims. “The hardest part is finding every victim,” retired LA City Fire Department firefighter Rich Godinez told CBS Los Angeles. “There are red, yellow and green tarps used by first responders to categorize victims.” He said the red tarps are for those who need to go to the hospital first. “First responders are going to start reaching out to the hospitals to start diverting each victim to different hospitals,” Godinez said. Patients were said to have been taken to several different hospitals, including St. Francis and the LAC+USC Medical Center. FOX 11 reports the recruits were attending the Sheriff’s Training Academy and Regional Service Center about a mile and a half from the crash site. The circumstances of the crash are still under investigation. Police and fire crews are pictured at the scene at Mills Avenue and Trumball Street in Whittier, California where a group of sheriffs and police recruits were hit by a car Roads in the area were blocked on Wednesday morning to allow ambulances to pass In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department said: “Our thoughts are with those affected by this morning’s events involving Sheriff’s recruits. “As we await further information on their condition, we wish everyone a speedy recovery.”
