Police officers were responding to a call for help in South Los Angeles on Sunday when a man driving a sedan plowed into their patrol vehicle, injuring them both.
The incident began around 5 p.m. as gang officers responded to a request for backup on a report of a man seen with a gun near Hillcrest Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Crenshaw, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The officers drove to the area in a marked patrol unit with their lights and siren activated, police officials said.
They were traveling south onto Hillcrest from Martin Luther King Jr. when they saw a dark Nissan sedan going north in the southbound lanes, police said.
“The Nissan accelerated toward the police car while driving on the wrong side of the road,” officials said.
The officer driving the patrol unit moved the vehicle to avoid a head-on crash, police said.
“The suspect changed his vehicle’s direction and collided with the passenger side of the police vehicle,” the officials said. “The officers were transported to a local hospital. One officer was treated and released and the other was admitted for further treatment.”
Jose Nicholas Lopez, 21, of Los Angeles was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.
Jail records show Lopez was booked early Monday and is being held on $50,000 bail.
Police officials said the case will be presented to the L.A. County district attorney’s office for consideration.
Further case details weren’t available Monday night.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division at (213) 486-6890. Those calling after hours or on weekends should call 1-877-527-3247.
Gregory Yee
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