California Highway Patrol officers rescue man from burning SUV

The brave and quick actions of several California Highway Patrol officers were captured on body-worn and dash cameras as they rushed to save a man from a burning vehicle over the summer.

The incident happened around 10:40 p.m. on July 3 when the male driver of an SUV somehow ended up in trees and brush along the side of a road in an undisclosed area of CHP’s South Los Angeles region.

Harrowing footage released by Highway Patrol on Thursday shows the first officer on the scene rushing to the burning vehicle and beginning to strike the driver’s side window with a baton. Seconds later, other officers arrive and also begin striking the windows.

A tree next to the car was also ablaze.

The officers quickly shattered the windows, pried open the driver’s door, and pulled the driver to safety moments before the vehicle exploded and became entirely engulfed in flames, the video shows. The driver did not appear to be seriously hurt.

The cause of the accident was not disclosed.

“Thanks to these officers’ swift and courageous actions, they were able to prevent a casualty,” CHP said in a social media post.

Two of the officers, Leon-Brito and Gonzalez, were honored for their heroics at a recent event at the San Pedro Elks Lodge.