A Placer County sheriff's deputy in Loomis had what authorities are calling an incredibly close call last Friday, when a speeding pickup barreled toward an active hit-and-run investigation and nearly mowed down the deputy and three people on the sidewalk. The deputy scrambled onto the curb as the truck clipped a parked vehicle, continued for about a block, then smashed into a tree. No one standing nearby was hurt, and the driver was arrested a short time later, officials said.
What happened
According to The Sacramento Bee, the deputy had been working an earlier hit-and-run at Taylor Road and Horseshoe Bar Road around 10:20 PM when the same pickup roared back toward the scene. The truck struck a parked car and came alarmingly close to several pedestrians before the deputy jumped out of its path. It finally came to a stop after slamming into a tree roughly a block away, the outlet reported.
Body-cam footage released
The narrow escape was caught on the deputy's body-worn camera, footage the Placer County Sheriff's Office later released to the public. The video shows the deputy suddenly leaping to safety as the pickup surges past, then captures the truck mounting the curb area and crashing into the tree moments later. It is a jarring reminder of how quickly a routine crash investigation can flip into a life-or-death situation. The sheriff's office said the footage was shared as part of its official account of what happened.
Charges and booking
Deputies arrested the driver at the crash site and booked them into the Placer County Jail on suspicion of hit-and-run and driving under the influence. The Placer County Sheriff's Office said the driver has prior DUI convictions. The case is being sent to prosecutors for review, and investigators are still working the file. Despite how chaotic the scene looked on camera, officials said no injuries were reported among the people who had been standing near the parked truck.
Investigation ongoing
The Placer County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone who witnessed the crash or captured additional video to contact investigators, who are still piecing together the full sequence of events leading up to the hit-and-run and near-miss. Officials said the body-cam footage was released both to give the public a clearer view of the incident and to underscore, in no uncertain terms, the risks that come with impaired driving.
