LAPD officer injured when she was ejected from patrol car after it was stolen

In downtown Los Angeles early Sunday morning a man stole an LAPD patrol vehicle with the officer still inside before causing a multi-vehicle pileup. The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. when, according to police, a female officer was conducting "security detail" at 12th and Figueroa streets.
A Los Angeles police officer was injured early Sunday when her patrol car was stolen while she was still inside it and later ejected. (KTLA-TV)

A Los Angeles police officer was injured early Sunday morning after a man stole her patrol vehicle while she was inside it and then was later ejected from the cruiser.

The unnamed officer had been working a security detail at 12th and Figueroa streets around 3:30 a.m. when a man approached her vehicle and managed to get inside, according to the department.

"The suspect drove off with the police vehicle and at some point the officer was ejected from the vehicle," according to the department's summary of the incident, which was posted on the social media platform X.

The suspect drove the vehicle north of Figueroa and was in a collision before leaving that scene and crashing on 7th and Figueroa streets. Photos of the scene posted by KTLA-TV show the police SUV crashed into a pole, its front end severely damaged as an overturned bike and scooters lay amid debris on a sidewalk. Police said the suspect got out of the patrol vehicle and attempted to flee, but was apprehended.

The officer was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries and was listed in stable condition. The suspect was evaluated at the scene and "cleared to be transported to the station for arrest processing," the department summary said.

A department spokesperson said no other information was available.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.