A Vancouver police officer is now in the hospital with serious injuries after his patrol car was struck by another car early Monday.
Police said a group of joy-riding teens were in the other car.
The officer who was injured and his partner were responding to an unrelated 911 call when they were struck by the car, which then caught fire, police said.
Police said they believe the driver, who is 16, had been doing donuts before hitting the officer’s unmarked police car.
The teen driver and two teen passengers were not hurt, police said, but the officer could miss months of work while he recovers.
The second officer has less serious injuries and is recovering at home, police added.
The 16-year-old driver was arrested at the scene and is facing charges including driving without a licence and dangerous driving.
The intersection at Kingsway and Tyne was closed for several hours Monday morning while officers from VPD’s collision investigation unit collected evidence.
Anyone who witnessed the collision, or anyone with dash-cam video from the area, is asked to call investigators at 604-717-3012.