Injured Atwater officer released from hospital

An Atwater police officer injured last week when the patrol car he was driving was hit by another vehicle has been released from the hospital, the Police Department confirmed Tuesday.

Officer David Sarginson, 39, was knocked unconscious March 18 when his patrol vehicle collided with another car at East Bellevue Road and Granite Drive in Atwater.

“I spoke with him (Monday), and the doctors say he’s going to be out at least two more weeks,” Sgt. Dick Wisdom said. “He’s still working with the doctors, but, hopefully, he may be back at work in about two weeks to maybe a month or so.”

Sarginson and other officers were responding with their lights and sirens activated to assist detectives in a foot chase with suspected gang members, one of whom was believed to have been armed, police said.

Two of the responding officers made it through the intersection of East Bellevue Road and Granite Drive, but Sarginson, who was behind the others, collided with a 2003 Cadillac CTS. All three officers were driving through a red traffic light to respond to the emergency call, the CHP said.

The driver of Cadillac, David Macias Rodriguez, 34, suffered moderate injuries to his shoulder. Rodriguez’s 5-year-old daughter was a passenger in his car but was not injured in the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP is investigating the incident, a standard practice whenever an Atwater officer is involved in a collision.

This story was originally published March 24, 2015 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Injured Atwater officer released from hospital."