U.S. Commerce Secretary cited for hit-and-run
SAN GABRIEL, Calif. — U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson was cited for felony hit-and-run following two Los Angeles-area traffic crashes that left him injured and unconscious, police said today.
Bryson, 68, was treated at a hospital for injuries following the crashes around 5 p.m. PDT Saturday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department and the San Gabriel Police Department said in a joint statement.
“Secretary Bryson was involved in a traffic accident over the weekend,” the Commerce Department said this morning. “He was taken to the hospital for examination and has been released. He has sustained no injuries and the investigation is ongoing.”
Bryson is facing felony hit-and-run charges, San Gabriel Police spokesman Lt. Ariel Duran said.
The secretary was driving alone in a Lexus in San Gabriel when he allegedly struck the rear end of a vehicle occupied by three males that had been stopped for a passing train.
He spoke briefly with the occupants and then hit their car again as he departed, the officials said. The three followed him while calling police.
Bryson then allegedly caused a second collision minutes later, also on San Gabriel Boulevard, in the nearby city of Rosemead, striking a car occupied by a man and a woman, the police agencies said.
Bryson was found alone and unconscious in his car.
There was no immediate indication that alcohol or drugs played a role in the collisions, the agencies said.