Nearly two dozen Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recruits were injured Wednesday morning when they were struck by a wrong-way driver during a training run in a Whittier neighborhood.
Firefighters identified victims as Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recruits on a training exercise. Witnesses said the recruits often train in the neighborhood and were on a run when they were struck.
Twenty-two recruits were injured, including five in critical condition. Four suffered moderate injuries and 14 people, including the driver, suffered minor injuries, according the the county fire department.
The number of victims and their conditions could change as more information becomes available, the county fire department said. A news conference with the sheriff’s department was scheduled for 10 a.m.
The crash was reported at about 6:30 a.m. in the 10600 block of Mills Avenue. Video showed a heavily damaged SUV with a crumpled front end on a nearby sidewalk near a downed light pole that also was struck by the driver.
Green, yellow and red triage mats, indicating severity of injuries, were set up on the street. Several recruits were transported to hospitals in ambulances, but details about their conditions were not immediately available.
Details about what led to the crash and the condition of the driver were not immediately available. The 22-year-old SUV driver was detained at the scene.
A department pre-academy training center is located in the 11000 bock of Colima Road in Whittier. The S.T.A.R.S. Center is one of two pre-academy training sites in Los Angeles County.
The programs include physical training and academic sessions. Participation in the program is voluntary and not required to become a sheriff’s deputy trainee.
