LASD deputy hospitalized after a crash involving a hit-and-run driver in Gardena

A crash in Gardena involving a hit-and-run driver at about 4:50 a.m. at the intersection of Van Ness and Marine avenues hit a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who was hospitalized immediately by the paramedics after his patrol SUV was struck by a vehicle whose driver fled the scene Gardena, authorities said. The suspect's vehicle was a silver Kia.

The deputy's injuries were not life-threatening. "He has some back and neck issues," the sheriff's sergeant said of the injured deputy. "He's conscious and talking."

Deputies set up a perimeter and conducted a search for the driver, who was later taken into custody.

Investigators believe the suspect is a juvenile.