A California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer helping to control traffic for the motorcade of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Los Angeles was injured in a collision Saturday afternoon, authorities said.
The officer, whose name was not immediately released, suffered three broken ribs and bumps and bruises, said CHP Sgt. Saul Gomez. He was stabilized at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, Gomez said.
The accident was reported at 2:08 p.m. on a busy street, Centinela Avenue, not far from Los Angeles International Airport, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart. News of the collision was first reported by TMZ.
Gomez said the officer was helping to control traffic as the motorcade was in motion when his motorcycle struck a civilian vehicle whose driver was allegedly making an illegal U-turn.
"When that motorist made that illegal U-turn over the double yellow line, the motor officer was coming through the controlled intersection and that’s when the collision occurred," he said.
Stewart of the LAFD described the officer as being in "fair to serious" condition when he was scooped up by LAFD paramedics.
Pompeo was in Southern California Saturday to deliver remarks at the Claremont Institute’s 40th Anniversary Gala held at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills. The institute is a conservative think tank based in Upland, California.
