Authorities in Los Angeles said 25 police trainees were injured, five of them in critical condition, when a car plowed into them while jogging without braking, according to the investigation so far.
The group of police trainees, mostly new recruits to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, were on their morning run when the SUV, which was traveling oncoming traffic, crashed into them. It hit them around 06:30 (local time; 16:30 Greek time).
GRAPHIC FOOTAGE: Video of a suspect plowing into 25 sheriff recruits who were out on a run jogging in Whittier, a suburb of Los Angeles this morning. The suspect has not yet been named. pic.twitter.com/ORFc4rcpQX
- Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) November 17, 2022
The scene of the accident resembled a "plane crash," Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said during a news conference. There were human bodies "scattered everywhere, with various wounds", one could even see "dismembered" recruits. One of them is intubated, he added.
Shocking video and photos from the scene of the accident show the black SUV on the pavement with its front end torn apart. The fire department confirmed that he was in oncoming traffic when he hit the police trainees, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Some of the trainees said they heard the car speed up before it crashed into them, the sheriff said.
Sad sad 22 year old drove into some sheriff cadets pic.twitter.com/yZRdBCMiCV
— Doitfoo (@doitfooo) November 17, 2022
The driver, who was arrested on the spot, was verified not to be under the influence of alcohol, explained Mr. Villanueva. However, according to police sources who spoke to the Los Angeles Times, he told officers he had "fallen asleep" at the wheel.
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The 22-year-old underwent toxicology tests to determine if he was under the influence of drugs.