LAPD officer hits car during emergency response, kills driver

A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy crashed into a civilian vehicle while racing to a call, killing the person inside and causing it to crash into another vehicle.

The law enforcement agency told the California Post the incident happened around 1:20 a.m. at the intersection of Sheila Street and Atlantic Boulevard in Commerce.

As the officer was responding to an urgent call about a person unconscious and not breathing in an unrelated incident in Cudahy, he crashed into a civilian vehicle. A second vehicle was impacted by the vehicle of the deceased and suffered minor damage.

Deputies quickly rendered aid, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department rushed to the scene.

Officials pronounced one person, the driver of the vehicle the deputy crashed into, dead at the scene. The second vehicle’s driver was uninjured, and the deputy was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Police told ABC 7 the deputy’s lights and sirens were on when the police car crashed into the civilian vehicle. It’s unclear how fast the cop car was traveling.

Video from the scene showed the LASD vehicle with heavy front damage and its interior airbags deployed. A black Toyota sat next to the cop car and appeared to have much more minor damage.

A third car with a green tent next to it sat behind both vehicles with major damage.

The identity of the civilians or the officer is unclear.

The investigation is ongoing. The sheriff’s office said the dashcam footage from the deputy vehicle involved in the collision will likely be released at some point.

Commerce is a city in LA County about 8 miles southeast of downtown LA. It is about 5 miles north of Cudahy.

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