Officer Caused Hit and Run Accident

An officer finds himself on the other side of the court room this year as he is charged with a misdemeanor hit-and-run crash in Torrance.

Richard William Hatten, 36, was represented by his attorney William Haddon last week who entered a not-guilty plea for his Manhattan Beach police officer client.

He has officially been charged with leaving the scene of the crime, along with two other passengers, where he struck another person. However, he is the only one being charged at this time. Officer Hatten was placed on administrative leave by Manhattan Police Chief Rod Uyeda as the department investigated the crash. The two other officers in the car, Eric Eccles and Kristopher Thompson, are not commenting on the case.

The officer on duty at that time, Jeff Goodrich, did not file a police report on the crash. He later succumbed to cancer.

If you have been the victim of a car accident in L.A., contact us to get help from a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer.