Investigators believe that the driver who purposefully ran over dozens of people training to work for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did it on purpose.
“They developed reasonable cause to believe it was purposeful,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in an interview with NewsNation. “They developed probable cause to believe it was intentional.”
After some time, deputies decided to let the motorist go since they had “insufficient evidence” against him. The agency has indicated that they will continue their investigation and may make another arrest of him.
LASD Dep. Recruit class assigned to the STARS Center Training Academy, Whittier, were struck by a vehicle at approx. 6:26 am, 10600 blk of Mills Ave during their run. Multiple injuries, & all victims transported to local hospitals.
For further: https://t.co/vv1ITCvWmp pic.twitter.com/xioe7OlfiY— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) November 16, 2022
The Sheriff’s Department has not made any specific information public regarding the reasons why they now feel that this crash was intentionally caused.
When a vehicle plowed into a group of Los Angeles County sheriff’s cadets, ten of the cadets were hurt.
According to reports, the SUV was driving on the incorrect side of the road when it veered into a group of seventy-five cadets who were sprinting. The Los Angeles County Fire Department reports that there were 25 sheriff’s recruits who sustained injuries as a result of the collision.
In response to today’s events affecting multiple recruits from LASD Academy 464, the Sheriffs’ Relief Association is accepting donations from the public. https://t.co/9nKVoziyLV pic.twitter.com/KlBrcVoIkv
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) November 16, 2022
Every victim was sent to one or more of the area’s several hospitals. Those patients who had sustained the most severe wounds were transported to St. Francis Medical Center and UC Irvine Medical Center.
During a news conference held on Wednesday, Villanueva stated that “our department was struck by tragedy.”
According to the reports from the firefighters, there were five people who were in critical condition, four people who received “serious” injuries, and 14 people who suffered minor injuries.
Near the site of the collision, law enforcement officials captured the driver and determined his name to be Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez, a resident of Diamond Bar who is 22 years old. After some time, he was apprehended and taken into custody on charges of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. He is being detained without the possibility of bail.
The accident was claimed to have occurred at 6:30 in the morning close to the intersection of Mills Avenue and Trumball Street. The recruits are a part of a group that has been given the task of attending the STAR Explore Training Academy.
According to Villanueva, the driver was successful in passing a breathalyzer test for alcohol.
He further mentioned that the training class was attended by recruits from a variety of law enforcement organizations and that among the group of injured trainees, there were two trainees from the Bell Police Department, one from the Glendale Police Department, and one from the Pasadena Police Department.
The remaining individuals were all trainees with the Sheriff’s Department.
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