Nov. 16 (UPI) — More than 20 recruits with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were injured after they were hit by a vehicle driving the wrong direction, authorities said on Wednesday.
The 22 recruits were in the midst of a training run in Whittier, Calif., when they were struck around 6:26 a.m. PST, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said in a post on Facebook.
The L.A. County Fire Department initially reported a total of 23 patients, with five in critical condition, four in moderate condition, and 14 in minor condition.
The driver of the SUV involved was detained pending further investigation and suffered only minor injuries.
Authorities said the 22-year-old man also crashed the vehicle into a light pole. They confirmed he veered into oncoming traffic before the crash. Officers administered a field sobriety test at the scene but did not release the results.
The recruits were assigned to the STAR Explore Training Academy in Whittier, around 15 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and 20 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
“All victims were transported to local hospitals for further treatment. Currently, it is unknown the severity of their injuries. There is no additional information available at this time. We pray for the recovery of all the recruits,” the sheriff’s department said in the Facebook post.
“I just felt sick. Here were all those recruits on their morning run who basically got plowed into in this driver,” L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn told KTTV-11.
“We’re hoping they pull through.”
MASS CASUALITY | FS96 | 10600 Mills Ave #Whittier | #LACoFD units are on scene of mass causality incident in the city of Whittier. There are currently 23 patients. 5 are in critical condition, 4 in moderate condition, and 14 in minor condition.#MillsIC
— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) November 16, 2022
