Dennis RomeroA driver who was under the influence while possibly also texting plowed his Mercedes SUV into a black-and-white patrol car in West Hollywood over the weekend, authorities said.
It happened early Friday after a deputy had pulled over another driver for reasons unknown in the 8900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, Sheriff's officials said in a statement.
The deputy was conducting the traffic stop when he noticed the Mercedes-Benz SUV speeding toward him, according to the account from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department:
Seeing that the SUV was rapidly approaching, the deputy had no other alternative but to jump out of the way to avoid getting killed. As the deputy did so, the SUV crashed into the rear of the parked patrol car. The force of the impact caused the patrol car to plow into the deputy, throwing him into the air, then onto the hood of the mangled patrol car before he came tumbling hard on the ground.
The injured lawman was hospitalized and released in “good condition,” authorities said. No one else was hurt.
Credit: Google Maps
The Mercedes driver, identified as 26-year-old Bruno Carvalho Alcantara of L.A., was “possibly texting at the time of the collision,” Sheriff's officials stated. He was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and then released the next day, they said.
Anyone who might have witnessed the crash was asked to call detectives at (310) 855-8850.
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