Self-driving Tesla crashes into police cruiser in Fullerton

The driver of a Tesla who had the vehicle in automated-drive mode crashed into a Fullerton Police Department cruiser Thursday, according to officers. 

It happened just after midnight near West Orangethorpe Avenue and South Gilbert Stree in Fullerton. Officers were there investigating a separate suspected DUI crash that killed a motorcyclist. 

As police were waiting for clean-up crews and directing traffic, the driver of the Tesla was allegedly distracted by a smart phone and crashed into the law enforcement vehicle in the area, officers said. 

"The officer's vehicle had its lights on," said Sgt. Ryan O'Neil of the Fullerton Police Department. "There were flares in the road and the officer noticed the vehicle coming at a pretty good pace."

The witnessing officer ran from the crash and was unharmed. The police cruiser was empty, and no injuries were reported.