Vancouver police officer injured in fiery crash with "joy-riding teens"

A Vancouver police officer was taken to hospital with serious injuries after his patrol car was struck by another vehicle early Monday morning.

The officer and his partner were responding to an unrelated call when the second vehicle hit them, and the car caught fire.

As it turned out, the occupants of the second vehicle appeared to be “joy-riding teens,” according to a Vancouver Police Department press release.

“Investigators believe the 16-year-old driver had been doing donuts – a reckless manoeuvre that involves turning a car’s wheels while accelerating in order to create a circular skid pattern – before colliding with the officers’ unmarked police car.”

The teen driver and their two young passengers weren’t hurt, and the second officer in the car received minor injuries and is recovering at home.

The force says the first officer could miss months of work while recovering.

The teen driver was arrested and faces several charges, including driving without a licence and dangerous driving.

The crash happened near Kingsway and Tyne Street, near the Burnaby border. Anyone with dash-cam footage of what happened is asked to contact police at 604-717-3012.