Montebello police hit person in crosswalk while responding to possible DUI driver

Montebello police hit a pedestrian who was walking in the crosswalk while they were responding to a possible DUI driver on Saturday evening.

The Montebello Police Department said officers were responding to a call of a possible DUI driver near Montebello Boulevard and Victoria Avenue around 5:38 p.m.

While one of the units was responding to the call, traveling eastbound on Beverly Boulevard at Howard Avenue, it hit a pedestrian who was walking in the crosswalk, police said.

"As the patrol vehicle entered the intersection, the driver, swerved in a southerly direction to avoid hitting the pedestrian," said a news release from the California Highway Patrol, whose detectives were handling the investigation. "The driver of the patrol vehicle was unable to avoid the pedestrian, and as a result, the front bumper of the patrol vehicle struck the pedestrian."

The pedestrian was taken to a local hospital with major injuries, CHP officers said, noting that they were in critical but stable condition as of Monday afternoon. 

The CHP officer driving the vehicle was also hospitalized, but with minor injuries, after their patrol car collided with a light at the end of the crash, according to CHP investigators. 

Police asked anyone with further information or who may have witnessed the crash to contact them at (213) 987-0520.