SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Dashcam video shows the moment an automobile slammed into the patrol unit of a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, sending it airborne at a busy intersection, according to reports.
The dramatic crash occurred just before 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the intersection of Newhall Ranch Rd. and Bouquet Canyon Rd. in Santa Clarita, FOX11 Los Angeles reported.
A gold Lexus slammed into the side of the law enforcement SUV as the deputy drives through the intersection, according to video. As a result of the impact, the patrol unit is sent spinning and flipping through the air before it strikes a silver SUV at a traffic signal and comes to a rest right-side up.
Multiple people at the scene rushed to aid the deputy after the crash. The deputy was rushed to a local trauma center for unspecified injuries.
“I think it speaks volumes that Santa Clarita, the community loves the cops here,” LASD Sgt. Sherry Clark said.
Fortunately, the sheriff’s department said the deputy, who was not identified, only suffered minor injuries and was later released from a hospital.
“It looked horrific and we’re all just so surprised and very happy that [the deputy] walked away basically unscathed,” Clark noted.
The collision was captured by Allen Rapisura’s dashcam video. He told FOX11, “”[It] just happened so fast. It’s like something you see in the movies.”
Another witness, Audry Carias, told KTLA, “The police car is coming towards me and another car just speeds up and hits it. [The patrol car] just flips and hits two cars in front of me. Thankfully, I didn’t get hit.”
At the time of the crash, the deputy was responding to a report of a burglary in progress, according to LASD Santa Clarita Station, reported the Signal.
The driver of the SUV struck by the patrol unit was also treated at a hospital and released, while the elderly driver of the gold Lexus was uninjured in the crash, FOX reported.
Sheriff’s officials said the driver in the Lexus unintentionally crashed into the deputy’s SUV. No charges have been filed as the collision remains under investigation.
