A sheriff’s deputy is expected to make a full recovery after a drunken driver at the wheel of a pickup truck crashed into his patrol car in West Whittier on Thursday night, authorities said.
The driver of a pickup truck is accused of DUI after colliding with a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department patrol car, injuring a deputy, in West Whittier on Dec. 20, 2018. (Courtesy)
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Brandon Longoria suffered some significant “bumps and bruises” in the the collision at Pioneer Boulevard and Saragosa Street in the unincorporated county area, Sgt. David Baltazar said. But the deputy avoided any major injuries and is expected to return to duty after a recovery period.
Thomas J. Boulanger, 24, is accused of felony drunken driving in connection with the crash, the sergeant said. He was believed to be visiting Southern California from Washington state.
He was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck north on Pioneer Boulevard just before 8:30 p.m. when he collided with the patrol car, which was headed east on Saragosa Street, Baltazar said. The intersection is regulate by stop signs.
California Highway Patrol officers, who are handling the investigation, determined Boulanger was under the influence of alcohol and arrested him, officials said.
Longoria was released from a hospital within a day of the crash, according to Baltazar. “We’re glad he’s OK,” the sergeant added.
Longoria was one of three deputies who were caught on camera rescuing a suicidal woman from an overpass of the 605 Freeway in 2017.
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Source: “Los Angeles” – Google News