Manhattan Beach police officer hospitalized after on-duty traffic collision
El Segundo Police Department Officer Ken Cheng helps conduct an investigation into the cause of the traffic collision. Photo by Alene Tchekmedyian
A Manhattan Beach police officer in a patrol car was involved in a traffic collision with another vehicle on Wednesday at 11 p.m., Manhattan Beach police said on Thursday.
Tony Presgraves, a 10-year Manhattan Beach police officer, was traveling northbound on Sepulveda, responding to a call, and a female driver in a Honda CRV was traveling eastbound on 9th Street, said El Segundo Police Lieutenant Carlos Mendoza. The two vehicles collided in the northbound lanes of the intersection.
Tony Presgraves is in stable condition after a traffic collision. Photo courtesy of Manhattan Beach
Both the Presgraves and the 24-year-old female driving the other vehicle were transported to the hospital for care and observation. Presgraves endured serious injuries, and is in stable condition at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Intensive Care Unit. The female driver was released from the hospital last night, police said.
El Segundo Police Department is handling the investigation into the cause of the accident, which includes reconstructing the accident and examining the diagnostics of the vehicles, skid marks, area of impact and area of rest, Mendoza said. The speed of the vehicles has not yet been determined. Mendoza said the entire investigation to determine fault could take four to five months.
Just before 10 a.m. on Thursday, El Segundo Police officers Ken Cheng and Andrew McEntyre were at the scene of the incident, helping with the investigation. The right northbound lane will be closed for the next few hours, Cheng said.
“There was quite a bit of debris,” McEntyre said.
In 2011, Presgraves was named police officer of the year by the department. He’s known in the department for his humor, compassion and vigilance in arresting DUI drivers, according to the city. “Countless times Officer Presgraves has gone above and beyond to help someone else, without being asked, and most important, without looking for recognition,” according to a city press release issued after he was awarded police officer of the year.