Two Los Angeles police officers and another person were taken to hospitals Thursday afternoon, September 17, 2026, after a patrol cruiser collided with a dark-colored SUV near Exposition Park, according to KTLA. The crash was reported shortly after 5 p.m. at 37th Street and Western Avenue.
The officers were responding to a call when the collision occurred, KTLA reported. LAPD requested two ambulances at the scene—one for the officers and one for someone in the SUV. The extent of the injuries and the conditions of those taken to hospitals were not immediately available.
What has not been established
Authorities had not said whether the patrol unit was using its lights and siren. It was also unclear whether anyone else was in the SUV. The available information does not establish which vehicle had the right of way, how the collision happened or whether any traffic violation contributed to it. Those questions will require an official investigation or additional updates.
The incident illustrates the risks surrounding police vehicles moving through city traffic, but it does not by itself show a departmentwide trend. In a 2018 letter, the Los Angeles Police Department said it owned and operated approximately 5,200 vehicles, including emergency-response, specialized and plain or non-emergency vehicles.
For broader citywide context, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing state records, that more than 500 collisions each year involve LAPD and other law-enforcement vehicles. That figure combines incidents across agencies and does not indicate how many involved emergency responses, how serious the injuries were or what caused this Exposition Park crash.
Earlier LAPD cases show why details matter
Prior LAPD collision reports also differ substantially in their circumstances. The department said a Hollywood patrol unit collided at Gower Street and Santa Monica Boulevard on April 29, 2024; a pedestrian later died, while other parties were treated for minor injuries, according to an LAPD account. That case involved a fatality and cannot be treated as a direct comparison with the currently reported hospital transports.
In a separate May 21, 2018, incident, LAPD said officers pursuing a suspected stolen vehicle lost control at Avenue 50 and Aldama Street. No officers were injured, while one suspect was hospitalized with a non-life-threatening injury, according to the department. Unlike the Exposition Park crash, that incident followed a pursuit and involved a police vehicle striking a curb rather than a reported collision with an SUV.
The current crash remains a developing incident. Until LAPD or another investigating agency releases more information, the number and severity of injuries, the patrol unit's emergency-driving status and the circumstances leading to the impact remain unresolved.
