2 LAPD officers injured in Fullerton crash by suspected DUI driver

FULLERTON, Calif. - Two Los Angeles Police Department officers were rushed to the hospital after investigators said a suspected DUI driver slammed into the back of their patrol vehicle on the 57 Freeway in Fullerton overnight following a high-speed pursuit through Los Angeles and Orange counties. 

Around midnight, investigators said LAPD officers were attempting to pull over the driver of a stolen vehicle. However, what they didn’t know at the time was the driver was wanted for a felony warrant and led authorities on a two-county chase. 

At one point, pursuing officers reported seeing the suspect throwing an object out of the vehicle on the northbound lanes of the 57 Freeway at the Yorba Linda Boulevard exit. That’s what patrol officers were looking for when authorities said they were rear-ended by a 25-year-old woman driving an Infiniti Q50 around 2 a.m. 

(LAPD)

LAPD Chief Michel Moore provided an update Tuesday morning and said the officers were stable and suffered head injuries, lacerations and bruises.

One of the officers had his family with him at the hospital. The other officer is from New York and was able to speak to his family over the phone. 

The initial pursuit ended at a motel in Lynwood where the suspect barricaded himself. He was eventually arrested, and investigators said they found a gun and drugs inside the stolen vehicle. 

Officials have not released the names of the suspected DUI driver or the suspect who led authorities on the pursuit that started it all. 

The northbound lanes were closed for hours for the investigation.