A man was arrested and then released after driving his car into 25 police recruits who were out on an early-morning run in Los Angeles on Wednesday, November 16.

Nicholas Gutierrez, 22, drove the wrong way down a Whittier, California, road where 75 police recruits were running at 6:29 a.m., while it was still dark, injuring 25. He was arrested for attempted murder on a peace officer, according to a police statement.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told media outlets that Gutierrez was released “due to the extreme complexity of the investigation.” KTLA 5 reported that the suspect was released on $2 million bond according to California penal code 849(B)(1), which states that peace officers can release an arrested person due to insufficient grounds to file a complaint against that person.

According to ABC News, five of the recruits were critically hurt, four suffered moderate injuries, and 16 have minor injuries. Officials reported that Injuries included head trauma, loss of limb. At least one victim was on a ventilator, according to ABC News.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told media outlets that the crash was a “deliberate act.” Gutierrez can be seen veering out of his lane and into the group of runners. “Road guards” ran on the outside of the recruits, wearing reflective vests, and the group was escorted by two patrol cars, according to ABC News.

Although there was marijuana in the car at the time of the crash, Gutierrez passed a field sobriety test according to The Los Angeles Times.

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Freelance Writer

Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, DAA Industry Opt Out The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:44 5K, and 5:33 mile. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, Popular Mechanics, The Runners World Vegetarian Cookbook, Cooking Light, CNN, Glamour, A Part of Hearst Digital Media, and Livestrong.com.