LAPD Motorcycle Officer Hurt in Crash During Chase

WINNETKA — A motorcycle officer chasing a speeding driver suffered minor injuries Thursday when he crashed after another motorist steered into his path.

Officer Dean Schram was traveling north in the 8100 block of De Soto Avenue, chasing a speeding motorist when he pulled into the middle turning lane. Seeing the officer’s flashing red lights coming up behind her, a motorist in front of him swung to the left, directly in front of the officer, instead of moving to her right, said Sgt. Ronald Leanderts.

Schram tried to brake, but skidded into the car, Leanderts said. Another car, traveling south, then also hit Schram’s motorcycle.

Schram, a seven-year LAPD veteran and a motorcycle officer for a year, suffered a concussion, cuts, bruises and back pain, authorities said. He was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

No one was cited in the crash, Leanderts said.

He said several motorcycle officers were writing speeding tickets on De Soto Avenue because of the road’s “propensity for speeders and traffic accidents.”

The speeder drove off.

“That’s the funny thing. I was trying to see who he was catching,” said Ivan Moreno, 23, of La Crescenta, whom Schram passed before the crash.

“Someone got out of a ticket and he doesn’t even know it.”