Wrong way vehicle hit 22 LA County sheriff's recruits on run

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

WHITTIER, Calif. (AP) — A vehicle that struck 22 Los Angeles County sheriff’s recruits on a training run around dawn Wednesday, critically injuring at least five of them, was traveling on the wrong side of the road just before the crash, authorities said.

A total of 23 people were injured, including the driver, said Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Sheila Kelliher.

In addition to the five who were critically injured, there were four with moderate injuries and 14 with minor injuries. The driver was among those with minor injuries, she said.

“I am personally heart sick,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said, adding that she was focusing on the cadets who were injured to pull through this.



Two investigators stand next to a mangled SUV that struck Los Angeles County sheriff's recruits in Whittier, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. The vehicle struck several Los Angeles County sheriff's recruits on a training run around dawn Wednesday, some were critically injured, authorities said. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/whittier-882e791a9ff87f39d2c11498997c44d2?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=TopNews&utm_campaign=position_04

[Demovictory9]

1. Drunk?

[ShazzieB]

9. That was my first thought, but now I don't know...

The article mentioned "impaired driving" as one of the things they're investigating, but it also says a field sobriety test was "negative." Makes me wonder if there was a medical factor involved.

Either way, I hope all those people pull through okay.

[cstanleytech]

18. There are a number of other things as well that can impair someones ability such as diabetes

because if someones blood glucose level is way to low or way to high it could very well impair them.
The other thing is drugs both prescription ones that someone is taking normally as well as the illegal kind.

[Historic NY]

2. What a waste.....

The recruits were running in four columns with two black-and-white radio cars and eight “road guards” wearing reflective vests, said Capt. Patrick Mcdonald, captain of the academy.


From the sound of it he came head on into them. Its hard enough to try to fill these jobs with good candidates.

[ZonkerHarris]

7. If you are applying to LASD you are not a good candidate. Possibly a gang member. LASD is the worst

and most corrupt LEO org in California.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. The department doesn't have like a ... what's it called ... a 'track' that cadets might 'jog on'

that's safely away from roadways?

If not at an official facility like The Academy, or whatnot, maybe a local school might have one of these 'tracks', or something like that?

I'd have thought, but ... maybe not.

to the injured, hope everyone makes it through.

[ZonkerHarris]

4. Chalk up another failure to the LASD.

[Historic NY]

5. That was in front of a elementary school

[link:https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-16/sheriffs-recruits-hit-by-car-los-angeles-california|]

Apparently he drove down the sidewalk

[Hugh_Lebowski]

6. Point being? (nt)

[Historic NY]

8. On a sidewalk

your point??

[ShazzieB]

10. Are you sure they were on the sidewalk?

From the article: "The recruits were running in four columns with two black-and-white radio cars and eight “road guards” wearing reflective vests, said Capt. Patrick Mcdonald, captain of the academy."

If they were running in 4 columns, that would have had to be an extremely side sidewalk.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

11. My point is there's tracks and similar safe places to go for a jog away from traffic ... everywhere

Seems like a serious misjudgment to not utilize them, instead the brass endangered all these young people by having them jog right near a roadway.

Thought that point was pretty obvious but I guess I am oblique at times w/o realizing it (or purposefully).

[Irish_Dem]

15. Article says the recruits were running in the street. At dawn.

Edit to add quote from news release:

About 75 recruits, from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and several local police agencies, were running in formation in the street just before 6:30 a.m. in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier when the driver veered into the wrong lane and struck the runners before crashing into a nearby light pole, authorities said.

[Marthe48]

14. We'll know more later

maybe the recruits were jogging from a track back to the academy or something like that.

[quakerboy]

12. Im sure they do

But a private track may not adequately prepare a cadet to intimidate the public with shows of force.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

13. A point I also considered, was this mainly a department dick-wagging exercise gone horribly wrong

for these young people?

But I didn't want to sound too much like a crackpot.

[ripcord]

19. So when bicyclists ride in groups 4 to 6 abreast are they dick-wagging?

How about cross country teams that run along roads or marching bands that practice on streets, are they dick-wagging? Some people here always trot out their conspiracy theories any time they think they can blame LEO. The only one that deserves any blame is the driver.

[quakerboy]

22. Are those groups well known for "dick wagging"?

Actually, sometimes they are. We periodically have groups of cyclists who take over roads and slow down traffic just to make the point that they have the right to do so, per the law.

Driver can take all the blame and other humans or organizations can still have made mistakes or been doing something distasteful.

[stopdiggin]

23. 'as opposed to jogging on a track' I think is the part you missed

yes, plenty of people engage in these pursuits (running, cycling, etc.) without any semblance of 'dick waving.' 4 abreast, in the street, before dawn (?) - maybe not so often.

Maybe it would have been better phrased "exercise in maximum visibility?"
And, in any case - driver obviously completely out of control (for whatever reason). Tragic accident.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

24. Thanks for saving me the typing

That was something I was pondering: are such things done in any part as an exercise in visibility?

Were that the case, the department would be wise to do some self-reflection on this one, change their policy/practices, find safer places for this type of activity. There's lot of tracks, lots of parks, lots of golf courses, lots of large corporate campuses ... many of which might let them jog as a group there.

Not only are their crazies out there that might target them, but accidents also happen.

If this had been a high school cross-country team you can damn sure bet every one of the parents of those kids would be suing the school, teachers, everybody involved in NOT taking the kids somewhere safer to do this training. Like the track at the school.

[plimsoll]

17. I get your point, but there seems to be an assumption here.

That motor vehicles are the only legitimate users of roads. Sure a track would be safer, but it feels like we're blaming the injured. I get to watch motorists from the side of the road a lot. Most (say 90%) seem to be paying attention and taking care for the safety of others. Another group (say 7%) are oblivious to anything smaller than a Suburban. The last group seem actually angered to see non-motor vehicle on the road and harass and execute dangerous maneuvers around them.

I hope this is impaired and not some person deciding "Yes in fact I do own the road."

[Hugh_Lebowski]

25. I wouldn't be blaming the injured cadets themselves as I imagine they have no authority here

i.e. it wasn't their personal call to do this exercise on a public roadway, it was, loosely-speaking, 'management', deciding to do it.

[plimsoll]

26. This still assumes that a non-motor vehicle shouldn't be using a road.

Given the realities I outlined your point is correct, but I'll return to the underlying assumption that only motor vehicles should be on the road. It is dangerous for non motorists to use the road, but that situation exists because law enforcement itself tends to view roads as motor vehicle only spaces. In that respect it's ironic that law enforcement management would actually have them use the streets when not in a vehicle.

[oldsoftie]

16. I'll be curious to see more info on this. Could've been intentional.

Could've been a medical issue. Or a drunk; although at that hour I'd think most of the drunks are already home or in jail
Hopefully there will be more info as the days go by

Attacks on cops have gone thru the roof in the past few years.

[Quixote1818]

20. That immediately went through my brain too. What are the chances of a driver hitting a bunch of

police in one spot?

[oldsoftie]

21. and apparently he accelerated into the crowd. nt

[ripcord]

27. He blew a 0 on the breathalyzer

He has been arrested for attempted murder of a police officer so I doubt it was medical. They did find cannabis in his vehicle.