A Los Angeles police officer was injured after a man stole his patrol car and was ejected from the cruiser early Sunday morning.
According to the department, the unnamed officer was on security duty at 12th and Figueroa streets around 3:30 a.m. when a man approached her car and managed to get inside.
“The suspect fled in a police vehicle and at some point the officer was ejected from the vehicle,” according to a summary of the incident posted by the department on social media platform X.
The suspect drove the vehicle north of Figueroa, where it crashed before leaving the scene and crashing at Seventh and Figueroa streets. Photos from the scene released by KTLA-TV showed the police SUV crashing into a pillar, severely damaging its front end, and an overturned bicycle and scooter lying among the debris on the sidewalk. The suspect got out of the patrol car and tried to run away, but was arrested, police said.
The officer was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is currently in stable condition. The suspect was evaluated at the scene and “cleared to be transported to the station for arrest processing,” the department’s summary said.
A spokesman for the department said no other information was available.
