The San Diego Union-Tribune
SAN DIEGO — A police officer driving a patrol car with the lights and siren on collided with a woman in a pickup truck in Grantville Monday morning, sending both to the hospital with minor injuries, according to authorities.
The unidentified officer was on his way to assist another officer who was following a stolen car. He was heading east on Friars Road about 8:30 a.m. when he crashed into a black Dodge Ram 1500 truck heading south on Riverdale Street, said traffic Sgt. Max Verduzco.
The patrol car hit the truck’s right rear wheel, spun it around and the Dodge collided with a white Chevrolet pickup that was making a left turn onto Friars from northbound Riverdale, Verduzco said. A small blue car then rear-ended the Chevrolet.
The officer and the woman in the Dodge, who were the only ones in their vehicles, were taken to hospitals with complaints of pain, Verduzco said.
Two men in the Chevrolet and the driver of the car were uninjured.
Officers shut down eastbound Friars Road from the exit with Interstate 15 to the scene of the wreck and the California Highway Patrol issued a traffic alert for northbound Interstate 15 as traffic backed up onto the freeway.
The road was reopened at noon.
The driver of the stolen car was pulled over at Zion Avenue near Waring Road, a little more than a mile from where the crash happened. He and a passenger were taken into custody with assistance from a canine unit, police said.
The sergeant said it had not yet been determined how fast the officer was traveling when he hit the pickup truck or who was at fault.
Copyright 2008 The San Diego Union-Tribune