LASD deputy hospitalized after crash involving hit-and-run driver in Gardena

GARDENA, Calif. (KABC) -- A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy was hospitalized Sunday morning after a crash in Gardena involving a hit-and-run driver, authorities said.

The crash occurred at about 4:50 a.m. at the intersection of Van Ness and Marine avenues, said LASD Sgt. Nikos Guskos, adding that the suspect's vehicle was a silver Kia.
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Paramedics rushed the deputy, the lone occupant inside the SUV, to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, Guskos said.

"He has some back and neck issues," the sheriff's sergeant said of the injured deputy. "He's conscious and talking."

News video from the scene showed the suspect's vehicle being loaded onto a flatbed tow truck. The LASD patrol vehicle's front driver's-side fender was severely mangled.

Deputies set up perimeter and conducted a search for the driver, who was later taken into custody.

Investigators believe the suspect is a juvenile.
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Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (323) 820-6700.

City News Service contributed to this report.