Officer Is Hit, Injured by Police Car Amid Pursuit

A Long Beach police officer running after a suspected car thief was injured when he was struck by a police cruiser, authorities said.

The chase began just before 10 p.m. Friday after officers tried to initiate a traffic stop in Long Beach, said Officer Jason Wong of the Long Beach Police Department.

The suspect drove off and led the officers on a chase into Carson, where the vehicle crashed and the driver fled on foot, Wong said.

He said officers had gotten out of their cruisers to follow the suspect when one officer was struck by a slow-moving cruiser.

“We don’t know if the officer ran into the car or the car ran into the officer,” Wong said. “The car wasn’t going very fast.”

The officer was hospitalized with facial abrasions and minor cuts to the head.

“He is expected to make a full and speedy recovery,” Wong said.

The unidentified suspect was arrested at the scene and was being held on suspicion of grand theft and felony evasion, Wong said.

The name of the injured officer, a six-year veteran, was not released.