A California mayor was allegedly inside a government-issued vehicle that crashed into a civilian vehicle and an LAPD motorcycle officer near the University of Southern California (USC) campus. No arrests have been made, but the incident is currently under investigation.
According to LAPD Capt. Giselle Espinoza, a black Chevy Tahoe registered to the City of Inglewood was transporting Inglewood Mayor James Butts Jr. shortly before 9 a.m. on Tuesday near the USC campus. As the SUV attempted to make a left-hand turn, the vehicle collided into a gray Honda sedan before slamming into an LAPD motorcycle officer.
First responders arrived at the scene to treat a woman and her 4-year-old child who were reportedly in the gray Honda sedan. The woman was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
Officer Jeff Lee, an LAPD spokesman, said a sergeant from the department’s Central Traffic Division was injured when he was struck by another vehicle near the intersection of Exposition Boulevard and Figueroa Street at 8:47 a.m.
“He was stationary in front of the water fountain on campus at USC…and he was struck by the black SUV at that position. It struck him and it threw him into the fountain,” explained LAPD Capt. Giselle Espinoza.
The police sergeant reportedly suffered several broken bones as a result of being struck by the black Chevy Tahoe.
According to video recorded by AIR7 HD, Inglewood Mayor James Butts Jr. was recorded at the scene of the crash standing near the black Chevy Tahoe. The mayor’s office has not commented on whether Butts had been driving the vehicle during the incident.
While no arrests have been made, the LAPD continues to investigate the crash for any potential criminal charges.
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