'Cops' TV Crew Injured in Ore. Cruiser Crash

Sept. 30, 2009
A Portland police car carrying crew members from the television show "Cops" crashes.

PORTLAND, Ore. --

A Portland police patrol car carrying two crew members from the television show "Cops" collided with another car Tuesday night, police said.

A Subaru Outback traveling in the opposite direction drifted into the lane of the patrol car and hit the officer's car head-on, said Detective Mary Wheat of the Portland Police Bureau. The Subaru rolled over onto its top.

The crash occurred at Southeast 136th Avenue and Stark Street at about 9 p.m.

The police officer and two crew members from the TV show were injured and taken to local hospitals. They're all expected to survive, Wheat said. There were no serious injuries to the other driver.

Wheat said the officer involved in the wreck was on routine patrol and not responding to a report of a crime.

Iesha Ash, who lives in the area, witnessed the aftermath of the crash.

"It's very bad. If you get on the other side, the cop car is all smashed up," said Ash, who said she frequently sees crashes on Stark Street.

A major crash team from the Portland Police Bureau has started investigating the collision. About nine blocks of Stark Street were shut down Tuesday night for the investigation.

There's no word on whether the driver of the Subaru was impaired at the time of the wreck.

"Cops" has been filming episodes in Portland for the past six weeks.

Copyright 2009 by KPTV.com. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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