Authorities on Monday were looking for a driver who fled from the scene of a traffic stop, during which a deputy was injured, in Lawndale before ditching a sport utility vehicle that rolled across several lanes and collided with parked vehicles.
The search was near 168th Street and Firmona Avenue, the sheriff's department reported.
The deputy initially tried to speak with the man after noticing his white SUV parked near the rear of a parking lot at a closed restaurant. The deputy saw a lot of smoke and noticed the scent of marijuana coming from the SUV, according to the sheriff's department.
After the deputy asked the driver to exit the vehicle for a DUI investigation, the driver shouted an expletive and took off, the sheriff's department said. The driver's side door caught on the deputy's gun belt and spun him around. He also was struck by the SUV's mirror and front bumper.
The driver accelerated out of the parking lot, soon followed by other deputies in a pursuit. The man jumped out of the SUV near 172nd Street and Hawthorne Boulevard.
The vehicle rolled across a center island before colliding with two parked cars.
The search for the man was continued through the morning., and Green Elementary School in the 4500 block of West 168th Street was placed on lockdown as a precaution. Parents were advised to drop off their children on the north side of the campus.
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The lockdown was lifted later Monday morning.
The sheriff's department described the individual as a white male, wearing a dark baseball cap, white T-shirt and blue jeans. It's possible he changed clothes since he was last seen by deputies.
