Three police officers responding to a call were injured when one patrol car rear-ended another in Northridge, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The crash took place about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Chase Street and Corbin Avenue. Police said an officer who had been flagged by a pedestrian slowed down and was hit from behind by another officer’s car.
The car that was struck from behind was carrying two officers. The impact was so strong that a helmet flew out of the car's trunk and landed in the front yard of a home.
"I heard a huge bang and I said, 'What the heck is that?'" said neighbor Amanda Belkin. "We saw all these cops here."
Police said the officers were helping one another get out of the mangled cruisers.
The three officers were taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center. By 11 p.m., two had been treated and released. The third was expected to go home soon.
The officers were responding to a call of a man acting erratically.
