An off-duty San Francisco Police Department rookie accused of driving under the influence and smashing into another vehicle and causing injuries on Saturday has been charged, the district attorney's office announced on Tuesday.
Just before 2 a.m. Saturday, officers with the San Francisco Police Department responded to a collision involving two cars near Sunset Boulevard and Rivera Street in the Sunset district.
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WATCH HEREThe occupants of the vehicle which was struck were transported to a hospital. One of the victims sustained life-threatening injuries, according to police.
In the other car, there were two occupants who were also taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Officers determined that the driver, Ryan Kwong, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol and placed him under arrest.
Kwong, 28, has been charged with four counts of allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and three counts of reckless driving causing injury. The complaint also alleges that Kwong drove at an excessive speed, inflicted great bodily injury, and had a blood alcohol concentration greater than .15%. The legal limit in California is .08%.
Kwong had just entered police officer field training with the SFPD, prompting reaction from local leaders like Mayor Daniel Lurie, who just last week announced a comprehensive plan to address the city's police officer shortage.
"Our police officers work hard to keep San Francisco safe, and we expect them to follow the law on and off duty -- no exceptions," Lurie wrote in a post to social media after the crash.
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Police Chief Bill Scott reiterated how Kwong's alleged actions stood against SFPD's code of conduct that officers are expected to follow.
"We will do everything in our power to ensure justice is served in this case," Scott said in a news release. "No one is above the law, and our officers know they are expected to obey the law."
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SIGN UP Kwong is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., the district attorney's office said.
