LA PUENTE — A La Puente man is suspected of drunken driving after crashing into a sheriff’s patrol car early Thursday, authorities said.
The 3 a.m. crash on Hacienda Boulevard at Ector Street resulted in major damage to the patrol car, but no serious injuries to either the deputy or the suspect, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Boese said in a written statement.
Salvador Sanchez, 27, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving after being treated for minor injuries, Boese said.
He was at the wheel of a Honda Civic and was turning left from northbound Hacienda Boulevard to Ector Street when the Honda struck the left front portion of the patrol car, which was southbound on Hacienda Boulevard, Boese said.
The impact caused the deputy to lose control of the patrol car, he said.
“The patrol car traveled across the southbound lanes of Hacienda Boulevard, eventually jumping onto the west sidewalk and crashing into a concrete light pole,” Boese said. The pole fell over on top of the patrol car.
The deputy managed to get out of the wrecked patrol car on his own and was taken to a hospital for evaluation before being released later in the day, officials said.
Deputies determined that Sanchez was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash and arrested him at the hospital before booking him into jail, Boese said.
According to county booking records, Sanchez was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.