Authorities have identified a suspect arrested after an SUV crashed into a group of law enforcement recruits out on a training run on Wednesday morning in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier.
As many as 25 of the group of 75 were taken to local hospitals. Five were listed in critical condition with head trauma, a possible amputation, and lacerations, according to reports.
The suspect detained at the scene by authorities has now been named as Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez, 22.
He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and may have been under the influence of a recreational drug when the crash occurred, Fox 11 reported. Gutierrez passed a field sobriety test and blew a 0.0 in his blood alcohol check. He is due in court on Friday.
The recruits attend the Sheriff’s Training Academy and Regional Services Center located roughly a mile and a half from the crash site. Recruits are often seen running in the vicinity in packs with outrunners wearing high-visibility gear.
Aerial footage showed debris strewn across the roadway as first responders tended to the wounded and a surveillance camera caught the shocking moment on video.
