University Place police car collides with SUV at city intersection; 3 hospitalized
A University Place Police Department vehicle collided early Monday with an SUV at an intersection, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies suspect the SUV driver ran a red light.
Two deputies and the SUV driver, a 37-year-old man, were taken to hospitals to be treated for injuries, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss said. The city of University Place contracts with the Sheriff’s Department for police services. The deputies’ injuries weren’t life threatening, Moss said. He didn’t know the extent of the SUV driver’s injuries, but he said the man was conscious when he was taken to a hospital.
The wreck was reported shortly after 4:30 a.m. near Bridgeport Way West and Cirque Drive, Moss said. He said the deputies were driving south on Bridgeport Way to respond to a motor vehicle theft. He said they were driving at normal speeds and their emergency lights were not on. The SUV driver was going west on Cirque Drive, and Moss said deputies believe he was traveling at a high rate of speed.
Moss said the patrol car hit the front of the SUV, and the impact sent the vehicle over a curb and into a tree, which fell on a parked car. Deputies radioed that they’d been in a collision and noticed that the other driver was outside of his car. Moss said it’s unclear if the man was ejected or got out.
The Sheriff’s Department has not yet determined who is at fault in the wreck, Moss said. He said the deputy driving reported he believed he had a green light. A, investigation is ongoing. Moss said investigators are retrieving surveillance video from the intersection.
The intersection was closed for several hours after the collision. Moss said the roadway reopened at about 7:40 a.m.
This story was originally published May 22, 2023 at 10:24 AM.
