JSO officer runs stop sign, crashes into van with children inside, witness says

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said one of its police officers ran a stop sign and hit a van with a family inside Tuesday evening.

A witness says there were two small children strapped in the back seat of that car.

Witnesses on the scene said that van rolled over after being struck at Ortega Boulevard and Yacht Club Road.

It was the second officer-involved crash within an hour and a half Tuesday.

JSO said an on-duty officer was in their marked squad car and on patrol when the officer failed to stop at the stop sign on Yacht Club Road, striking that car on Ortega Boulevard around 7 p.m.

Action News Jax learned a grandmother, mom and her two kids were in that car, and a passenger was taken to a hospital with injuries. Action News Jax is working to learn that person's condition.

JSO said Traffic Homicide is interviewing witnesses to learn more.

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Action News Jax spoke with a witness who said he rushed in to help.

“I just ran out to help with some assistance because it looked like the minivan had rolled over a couple times,” Asher Gavronsky said.  “And when I got up there, there were two young babies in the back seat in their car seats.”

Gavronsky said crashes occur at this intersection weekly, and he believes a stoplight needs to be added there.

Just an hour and a half earlier, around 5:30 p.m., JSO said another officer was involved in a crash at the intersection of MLK Jr. Parkway  and Myrtle Avenue.

JSO said the officer was responding as back-up to another call - a disturbance involving a large group of people - when that squad car and another vehicle collided.

No word was given on who was at fault.

JSO said the officer was not hurt, but the other driver was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Cox Media Group