Post date: Jun 11, 2012 3:33:4 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (RESTRICTED POOL) - U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson is under investigation for hit-and-run car crashes with two cars near his California home over the weekend. His office says he had suffered a seizure.
U.S. President Barack Obama's top trade official John Bryson is under investigation for hit-and-run crashes in South California. A spokeswoman from the U.S. Commerce Department says Bryson had a seizure while driving.
Bryson, who represents business interests in the Obama administration, was hospitalized in California but has returned to Washington, Commerce Department spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman said in a statement on Monday (June 11). The investigation into the crashes is ongoing, she added.
Earlier on Monday, police in Southern California said Bryson was found unconscious on Saturday (June 9) behind the wheel of his Lexus after crashing into one car twice and then colliding with another. At least one crash is being investigated as a felony hit-and-run.
The 68-year-old was given medication to treat the seizure, according to a Commerce Department official, who added that Bryson was driving his own car on personal time and had no security detail at the time of the crashes.
Police said so far "there is no indication that alcohol or drugs played a role in the collisions." They added that Bryson and others were cooperative with the investigation. Los Angeles police have formally cited Bryson in the incident but the local district attorney's office will decide whether to file formal criminal charges, according to CBS News, quoting Los Angeles police.
The White House had no immediate comment.
In a statement released early Monday, California's San Gabriel Police Department said a preliminary investigation indicates Bryson caused the first crash when his Lexus rear-ended a Buick in San Gabriel on Saturday at about 5:05 p.m.
He hit it again when leaving the scene.
The second crash took place about five minutes later in nearby Rosemead, California, when Bryson allegedly hit a Honda Accord, according to the statement, which was issued along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Paramedics treated Bryson at the crash site and he was admitted to a local hospital, police said. Passengers in the other cars had no major injuries.
Commerce's Friedman said Bryson stayed at the hospital overnight.