Pedestrian Is Hurt Critically After Being Struck by Police Car
A man crossing a street with a bag of groceries suffered critical injuries after being struck by a police car, authorities said Tuesday.
Leobardo Timentiel, 50, of Fullerton was not in a crosswalk at the time, officials said. Investigators detected “a very strong odor of alcohol,” said Angel Johnson, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, the agency investigating the accident.
Timentiel was crossing Chapman Avenue about 9:30 p.m. Monday when a police car traveling west on Chapman struck him, Police Investigator Corinne Loomis said. The vehicle was being driven by an officer responding to a call on Placentia Avenue, police said.
Timentiel suffered a broken right leg and elbow, multiple cuts and internal bleeding and was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The officer, who appeared to have been driving within the speed limit of 35 mph, was not injured, police said.
“The officer had stopped at the point of impact and there were no skid marks to indicate a high rate of speed,” Loomis said.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident because it involves a police officer, authorities said.
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