California Highway Patrol is reporting that 22 recruits with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were struck by a vehicle.
Five of the recruits are reportedly in critical condition.
An early report from Newsmax stated that at least 10 recruits were struck, but that information has since been updated.
WATCH:
The latest reports indicate 22 LASD recruits were injured by a wrong-way driver.
KTLA reported:
A wrong-way driver plowed into a group of law enforcement recruits while they were jogging in South Whittier Wednesday morning, injuring 22 recruits, five of them critically.
The driver was also hurt.
The collision occurred around 6:25 a.m. near the intersection of Mills Avenue and Telegraph Road, just a short distance from Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s STAR Explore Training Academy.
Sky5 aerial footage showed a gray SUV that had crashed into a pole, sustaining major front-end damage.
“The vehicle’s driver that struck the recruits was detained pending further investigation,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
The driver was identified as a 22-year-old man heading the wrong way on the street, according to Capt. Sheila Kelliher with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
His injuries were minor.
Five of the recruits were critically injured, four were moderately injured and 13 cadets sustained minor injuries.
Patients were taken to several hospitals, including St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and LAC+USC Medical Center.
From the press release:
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Recruit class assigned to the STAR Explore Training Academy, Whittier, were struck by a moving vehicle at approximately 6:26 am on the 10600 block of Mills Avenue during their run while on training. There were multiple injuries, and all victims were transported to local hospitals for further treatment. Currently, it is unknown the severity of their injuries. The vehicle’s driver that struck the recruits was detained pending further investigation.
There is no additional information available at this time.
This story is developing.
