Deputies, Inmate Hurt in Freeway Accident

Two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies and a County Jail inmate were injured Friday night in Arleta when their patrol car clipped an automobile that was stopped on a freeway, officials said Saturday.

The deputies and the inmate, whose names were not released, were not seriously hurt, said Sgt. Robert Srery. One deputy remained hospitalized Saturday at Pacifica Hospital of the Valley in Sun Valley with a bruised nose and several other bruises and abrasions. The other deputy was treated and released, he said.

The inmate, who was also taken to Pacifica Hospital, was in stable condition, Srery said.

The deputies had been transporting the inmate from the North County Correctional Facility in Saugus to the jail ward at County-USC Medical Center, Srery said. The inmate was suffering from an enlarged spleen, Srery said.

The patrol car was traveling south on the Golden State Freeway near Osborne Street in the lane near the center divider. The patrol vehicle swerved to the right to avoid a car stopped with its lights out in the same lane, Srery said.

The car had been involved in an unrelated traffic accident, and people were standing to the left of the stopped car, he said.

The patrol car clipped the right rear of the stopped vehicle and swerved to avoid hitting the people, Srery said. The patrol car then crossed all four lanes of the freeway and came to rest against a cement wall, he said.

The engines of both cars caught fire. The deputies used a fire extinguisher to douse the patrol car flames, Srery said. It was unclear who extinguished the blaze in the private car.