Truck Hits Policeman Chasing Drug Suspect

An undercover Los Angeles police officer was injured Wednesday when he was hit by a truck while chasing a suspected heroin dealer across a North Hollywood street, authorities said.

The officer, whom authorities did not identify, was treated for collarbone fractures at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after he was struck by the truck’s side-view mirror, said Lt. Lindsey Harmon of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Gersain Loya, 28, of North Hollywood was arrested seconds later by other undercover officers who joined in the chase, Harmon said. Loya was booked on suspicion of possession of heroin for sale, authorities said.

Loya attempted to flee when four plainclothes officers approached the man as he was waiting to board a bus for downtown Los Angeles, where he apparently planned to sell heroin to street dealers, Harmon said. The officers had staked out the suspect’s apartment near Burbank Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue.

A bag that Loya threw aside when the officers approached him contained three ounces of heroin, worth about $2,500 on the street, said Los Angeles Police Detective J.J. Warren.

The injured officer was struck after he got out of a surveillance van and attempted to chase Loya, police said.