Long Beach police witness hit-and-run while investigating crash that injured LBPD officer

It was a chaotic 20 minutes at Pine Avenue and Ocean Boulevard.

Authorities said the Downtown Long Beach intersection was the site of a crash that injured an LBPD officer Friday night, and before police could finish investigating, they had to chase down a hit-and-run driver who crashed into a pedestrian in front of them.

The situation started at 11:33 p.m. when an officer driving to a call was hit by another vehicle, the Long Beach Police Department said in a statement.

Police were still at the intersection handling the aftermath of the collision when they saw another crash at 11:53 p.m. This time, a driver hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk and then drove off, according to the LBPD.

Police said officers followed the car, pulled it over and arrested the driver about a block away. The 34-year-old was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit-and-run.

Paramedics took the pedestrian who was hit to a local hospital to treat injuries that weren’t life-threatening, police said.

The police officer hurt in the original crash is going to be OK, according to the LBPD. He was taken to the hospital but quickly released. The occupants of the other car that crashed into him did not have to be hospitalized, police said.

Police didn’t immediately answer questions about how the crash occurred or who was at fault.

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