CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — Five people, including the driver, were injured after a car drove into a tent that was set up outside the emergency room at the Sharp Medical Center in Chula Vista Thursday afternoon, according to a Chula Vista Police Department spokesperson.
A public information officer for CVPD told a 10News photojournalist on the scene that a maroon car drove at a "high rate of speed" into the emergency entrance, where ambulances usually arrive to drop off patients at the emergency room, at around 1:30 p.m. Witnesses also told 10News on the scene that the car had entered the parking lot speeding.
CVPD arrested the driver, 33-year-old Sergio Jimenez, for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs causing injury, which is a felony.
CVPD says Jimenez hit a gurney in the parking lot next to an ambulance and hit a paramedic who was standing by the gurney. The car continued forward, ramming a chain link fence into the tent, which is typically used for triage and patient evaluations, police say.
Jimenez was taken to the trauma center, while the paramedic was taken to another hospital in the area, the spokesperson says.
Three people who were inside the tent suffered minor injuries. A Sharp spokesperson on the scene was unable to verify if they were patients or staff as of 3:45 p.m.
Police say the tent was in disarray, as medical equipment and furniture were tossed around due to the crash.
This is a developing story. Stay with ABC 10News as our team of journalists works to gather the latest information.
