VAN NUYS : Man Faces Trial in Hit-and-Run Case

An Arleta man who allegedly ran over a Los Angeles police motorcycle officer at a sobriety checkpoint has been ordered to stand trial.

Juan Hinojosa will face four felony counts stemming from a Thanksgiving weekend accident in which he allegedly raced through the checkpoint while intoxicated, striking Officer Jeffrey Williams.

Hinojosa, 24, is charged with driving under the influence, assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of hit-and-run driving in the Nov. 28 incident.

Hinojosa is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court on Dec. 29.

Authorities said Hinojosa had a blood alcohol level of at least 0.21%--nearly three times the legal limit--when he ran down Williams, who was stationed at a sobriety checkpoint in Van Nuys.

With the red lights flashing on his motorcycle, Williams was escorting an elderly person who became confused inside the checkpoint, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert L. Cohen.

Hinojosa was traveling northbound on Van Nuys Boulevard near Nordhoff Street when he allegedly accelerated to at least 55 m.p.h. and struck Williams, throwing the officer in the air.

Williams landed on Hinojosa’s 1980 Toyota and shattered the windshield, police said. Witnesses said the car spun out and the officer fell to the ground.

Prosecutors said Hinojosa then made a U-turn and ran over Williams.

The officer, who was released from the hospital earlier after 15 days of treatment, suffered a lacerated liver, six broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Hinojosa remains in County Jail in lieu of $105,000 bail.