Crime
Driver who allegedly hit 25 police recruits' bail set at $2 million
Police said he passed a sobriety test but may have been under the influence of a recreational drug.
November 17, 2022 2:23pm
Updated: November 17, 2022 4:29pm
Authorities confirmed Thursday that the wrong-way driver accusing of plowing into 25 Los Angeles law enforcement recruits is in custody.
The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez of Diamond Bar, was arrested at the scene for assault with a deadly weapon, reports Fox 11 Los Angeles. Police say he was given a sobriety test at the scene and passed but may have been under the influence of a recreational drug when the crash occurred.
His bail was set at $2 million.
75 members of Academy Class 464, which contains recruits for various agencies across Los Angeles County, were out for a training run near the Sheriff’s Training Academy and Regional Services (STARS) Center on Wednesday when Gutierrez veered into the opposing lane and hit the group with his Honda CR-V, according to authorities.
25 law enforcement recruits were injured in the crash, which the California Highway Patrol said was reported around 6:25 a.m. Five are in critical condition.
ABC7 posted surveillance video showing the moment Gutierrez’s car hit the jogging group.
Gutierrez's family told FOX 11 that he is a "good kid" who respects the law enforcement community because he comes from a law enforcement family.
The victims’ names have not been released. The investigation is ongoing.
