Eight people were hospitalized Sunday morning after a sheriff’s vehicle T-boned a minivan in downtown Los Angeles, causing the van to overturn, authorities said.
The minivan allegedly ran a red light, a spokesman for the LAPD said.
The LA Fire Department used the jaws of life because the victims were trapped inside the wreckage, according to the department.
All seven of the people inside of the minivan were transported to USC Medical Center, along with the deputy in the patrol car, according to the LAPD.
The passengers and drivers complained of cuts and bruises, but there were no broken bones suffered, said Sgt. Mike Flynn, spokesman for the LAPD’s traffic division.
The minivan, which appeared to belong to Norman's Nursery of San Gabriel, Calif., was traveling north on Main Street when the sheriff’s patrol car, traveling west on Arcadia Street, slammed into the right side of the van.
“Our preliminary investigation revealed statements that the driver of the minivan ran red light,” Flynn said.
The officer was not responding to a call at the time of the collision because his lights and siren were not on, Flynn said.
It is also unknown how fast both vehicles were traveling.
After the crash, both the van and the patrol car were removed by flatbed tow trucks due to the extent of the damage to both vehicles.
No information was available about the drivers’ and passengers’ conditions, nor were their identities revealed.