5 Officers Hurt in Run-In With Driver : Accidents: A suspected drunk driver crashes into a patrol car in a Reseda intersection and then wrestles with three other policemen.

Two Los Angeles police officers were injured Friday by a suspected drunk driver who slammed into a patrol car in a Reseda intersection and then fought with three more officers as they took him into custody, police said.

Sgt. Craig Crosby said all five officers suffered injuries serious enough to have them taken off duty for at least three days.

The suspect, Luis Bernabe Gonzalez, 33, of West Hills was taken into custody on suspicion of felony drunk driving and for violation of parole, Crosby said.

Officer Gary Weller said Gonzalez, according to a statement the suspect made at the scene, deliberately ran the red light in front of the officers, perhaps to taunt them. “He said something to the effect that he did it on purpose to get the officers’ attention and that running a red light was one way to do that,” Weller said.

The chaotic series of events began about 4 p.m. when Gonzalez barreled through the intersection of Sherman Way and White Oak Avenue, striking the patrol car broadside as it made a right turn from Sherman Way onto White Oak Avenue, Crosby said.

Firefighters had to pry two injured officers from the car, Weller said. Officers Kevin Malm, 30, a three-year veteran, and Pat Murphy, 38, a 14-year veteran, suffered back and neck strains in addition to cuts and bruises and were taken to a nearby hospital, Crosby said.

Gonzalez fled the intersection on foot, running to a nearby business area where he briefly fought with three officers who tried to wrestle him into submission, Crosby said.

Crosby said some officers have become hesitant to use force when detaining suspects and attributed the numerous injuries to that reluctance.

“Because of the overall criticism by the public and the media of use of force, I think they’re not reacting to threats to their own safety any more,” Crosby said. “To me, that’s an outrage.”

The other injured officers were Nick Giampaolo, 36, a seven-year veteran; Rodney Forrest, 43, a 22-year veteran, and David Hovey, 30, a three-year veteran. The officers will be referred to specialists for injuries that included sprained backs, arms, necks and shoulders.

Gustavo Chavez, 42, of Inglewood, a passenger in Gonzalez’s car, suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, Weller said. He was not cited in the crash.