CHP officer seriously injured, struck by alleged DUI suspect in south Sacramento
A California Highway Patrol officer was seriously injured after being struck by a DUI suspect early Sunday in south Sacramento while responding to a fatal hit-and-run crash, authorities said.
The officer was outside of their vehicle at around 12:30 a.m. responding to a crash on Stockton Boulevard just south of Florin Road when a Ford Mustang on northbound Stockton “entered the closure and collided with an officer on scene” at a high rate of speed, the CHP South Sacramento office said in a Monday news release.
The injured officer, who was standing outside a patrol vehicle, was taken to a hospital with major injuries, CHP officials wrote. CHP South Sacramento spokesman Officer Mark Leavitt said the officer is “still in critical condition, but stable.”
The officer remained in treatment at the hospital as of Monday, “surrounded by family members,” the CHP said in an afternoon update.
The driver accused of hitting the officer, identified Monday afternoon by the CHP as Jason Wullenwaber, 27, of Sacramento, was arrested at the scene of the crash on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, according to the release, which said he had minor injuries.
Wullenwaber was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on felony DUI charges and is being held with bail set at $500,000.
The fatal hit-and-run Saturday night involved a bicyclist who was struck from behind by a vehicle heading north on Stockton Boulevard, the CHP said in a separate news release.
The bicyclist was thrown from his bike after being struck by an unknown vehicle, which fled the area, authorities said. He died at the scene, according to the release.
The bicyclist killed in the hit-and-run was identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office as 44-year-old Manuel Espinoza Rodriguez, of Sacramento.
Officers had been dispatched to the deadly incident about an hour before the officer was struck, around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the release.
This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 9:10 AM.
