An LAPD officer was struck by a passing car while investigating a separate traffic collision in Sylmar on Friday, Aug. 28, and rushed to a trauma center in serious condition.

The officer, assigned to the department's Mission Division, was working on foot in the 13550 block of Foothill Boulevard near Hubbard Street just before 7:50 p.m. when the vehicle hit him and kept going, LAPD Capt. Mike Bland told NBC Los Angeles.

Chris Salvi, a neighbor who witnessed the crash, told KTLA the officer had been filling out paperwork on the hood of his patrol car. "I actually saw his body fly up in the air and go down," Salvi said.

Another witness, Brenda Miranda, described the aftermath to NBC Los Angeles. She said the officer was lying on the ground and his partners came to his side.

Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics transported the officer to a local trauma center, where doctors treated him for multiple injuries, CBS Los Angeles reported. His condition stabilized at the hospital. He underwent surgery Saturday morning, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Suspect arrested within an hour

LAPD located what officers believed was the suspect's vehicle in the Pacoima Wash area. NBC Los Angeles and KTLA reported the car was found in or near the city of San Fernando, roughly half a mile to a mile from the crash site depending on the account.

Officers arrested the suspect about an hour after the collision near the intersection of Sutter Avenue and Mercer Street, about 3.6 miles from the crash, CBS Los Angeles reported. KTLA reported the arrest happened at approximately 8:40 p.m. The suspect suffered minor injuries and was also taken to a hospital.

Eva Bernal, who identified herself to KTLA as the suspect's second cousin-in-law, said on Saturday, Aug. 29, that the man knocked on her door just before officers arrived. He was bloody and scared, she said, and told her his brakes had failed. LAPD has not confirmed or commented on that claim.

Footage obtained by KTLA showed the suspect being taken into custody with a visible head wound.

The suspect's identity and formal charges had not been released as of Saturday afternoon. LAPD assigned its Multi-Disciplinary Collision Investigation Detail to reconstruct the crash, according to CBS Los Angeles.