Huntington Officer Hit by DUI Suspect

A Huntington Beach police officer was in stable condition Saturday after being hit by a suspected drunk driver during a traffic stop on Pacific Coast Highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Richard Wright, a 51-year-old motorcycle officer, was talking to the teenage driver of a pickup that he had stopped just north of Seapoint Avenue shortly before midnight Friday.

During the stop, CHP officials said, Wright’s motorcycle was struck by a Jeep Cherokee driven by Ronald B. Grey, 37, who was heading south on Pacific Coast Highway.

Grey veered to the right shoulder, where Wright and the 16-year-old were standing, for unknown reasons, officials said.

The impact pushed the motorcycle forward, hitting Wright and the other driver. The Jeep then crashed into the boy’s truck.

Wright and another 16-year-old who’d been sitting inside the truck were airlifted to UCI Medical Center in Orange with moderate injuries.

Wright suffered a broken arm and bruises but was expected to be released today, a Huntington Beach police spokesman said.

The teenagers, both of Huntington Beach, were treated and released.

Grey, of Newport Beach, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and was treated for minor injuries at Huntington Beach Hospital.