Two Los Angeles Police Department officers were in serious condition Tuesday after they were struck by a vehicle on the Orange (57) Freeway in Fullerton.
The officers were injured around 2 a.m. as they were searching the freeway for a weapon that a stolen car suspect was believed to have thrown out of a vehicle during an early morning pursuit, KABC 7 reported. A woman driving an Infiniti slammed into the rear of their patrol car, injuring the officers, Fox 11 reported.
The officers were part of a group of law enforcement units from the LAPD’s Newton Division that began pursing the suspect in downtown Los Angeles just before midnight, according to KABC.
At some point during the pursuit, the suspect drove onto the Orange Freeway and police said the suspect threw a weapon out of the window of the vehicle. The injured officers were looking for the weapon when they were struck, according to KABC.
They were taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where they were in serious condition, KABC reported.
The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert for the northbound 57 Freeway and Yorba Linda Boulevard and closed all lanes of the freeway in both directions as they investigated the crash.