By Mary O’KEEFE

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. released a statement on social media recently concerning the condition of the Sheriff’s Academy cadets who were injured after a crash involving an SUV.

“At this time, four recruits from Sheriff’s Academy Class #464 still remain in critical condition and the rest have been released from the hospital who suffered non-life-threatening injuries. We remain hopeful for all involved to have a full and speedy recovery; however, one recruit, Alejandro Martinez, has suffered setbacks that have left him in grave condition. Please keep him and his family in your prayers,” according to LASD.

On Nov. 16, 25 members of Sheriff’s Academy Class #464 where injured when an SUV drove into a group of about 75 cadets on a training run near the STARS (Sheriff’s Training Academy and Regional Services) Explorer Academy in South Whittier.

The Glendale Police Dept. had three recruits in the affected LASD Academy class. Only one of our recruits reported an injury. The recruit was transported to the hospital out of an abundance of caution but released shortly after arrival, according to Sgt. Jackson, spokesman for GPD.

“The senseless attack on our Academy recruits was horrific. To target a group of defenseless young men and women who are at the very beginning of their careers of service is an attack on all of us. The Glendale Police Dept. is fully confident and supportive of the ongoing investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. and the California Highway Patrol. We are currently focusing our efforts on supporting our employees and their families.

“When I heard about the incident on Wednesday, members of my staff and I immediately responded to Whittier in support of our recruits and our officer who is assigned to the academy as a drill instructor. We were also there to offer support to the sheriff’s department, CHP and other supporting agencies. The next day, I again met with our Glendale employees assigned to the academy and made sure they were aware of our support and provided them with every resource available. We will continue to monitor and support their progress.

“In addition to our own recruits, our thoughts and prayers go out to the recovering recruits, their staff and their families,” stated Acting Chief Andrew Jenks, GPD.

According to his attorney, the driver, Nicholas Gutierrez of Diamond Bar, was traveling to his job as an electrical engineer.

“He’s a good kid that fell asleep on his way to work early in the morning,” Kazarian told the LA Times.

The California Highway Patrol is the investigating agency for this incident. Anyone with information can call the Santa Fe Springs CHP office at (562) 868-0503.