The Region : Driver Accused of Ramming Into Officer

The California Highway Patrol arrested a man suspected of ramming his car into a Los Angeles police motorcycle officer and sideswiping at least seven cars on three San Fernando Valley freeways, authorities said. Oscar Smith, 36, of Newhall was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer several hours after the incident on the southbound Golden State Freeway in Pacoima, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Barry Sandstrom said. The officer, James K. Johnson, 32, who was off duty but in uniform, escaped serious injury when his motorcycle was rammed, throwing him to the pavement. Smith was arrested outside his apartment after stepping out of his 1987 Nissan sports car, which fit the description of the car in the hit-and-run case, Sandstrom said. Officers had staked out Smith’s apartment after identifying him from a license plate that became dislodged on impact with the police motorcycle.