Man accused of intentionally hitting LAPD motorcycle officer on 5 Freeway is arrested, CHP says

Authorities have arrested a former Air Force staff sergeant, accusing him of intentionally hitting the back of a Los Angeles police officer’s motorcycle and pushing the moving officer down the 5 Freeway in Castaic for about a half-mile during Wednesday morning’s commute.

Philip Newlyn, a 28-year-old Elk Grove resident who was awarded a Purple Heart for his actions in Iraq, was taken into custody early Wednesday evening in the San Diego area, authorities said. California Highway Patrol records indicated he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Authorities said the incident unfolded at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, when the uniformed LAPD officer was riding his marked police motorcycle on his way to work. As the officer rode south on the freeway, a white pickup truck hit the back of the motorcycle, CHP officials said.

Based on witness accounts, the officer’s statement and other preliminary evidence, investigators believe the truck shoved the motorcycle for a significant stretch at “freeway speeds,� said CHP Officer Josh Greengard.

“It was not an accident,� Greengard previously said. “It was an intentional act.�

The officer was able to stay on the motorcycle and ultimately get away from the truck before pulling over to the freeway’s shoulder, Greengard said. The truck sped off.

The officer was taken to the hospital for treatment but was home recovering by mid-afternoon Wednesday. He is a 28-year veteran of the LAPD, officials there said, and has spent about half his department career working a motorcycle detail.

CHP officials held a press conference Wednesday afternoon, describing the hit-and-run and asking for witnesses to come forward. A few hours later, Newlyn was in custody.

“He’s our sole suspect,� CHP Officer Eric Priessman said Thursday.

Air Force records showed Newlyn enlisted October 2006 and served until July 2012, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. He was last stationed at Beale Air Force Base, near Sacramento.

The records indicated Newlyn received the Purple Heart, awarded to military members who are killed or wounded in action, but did not detail how he earned the decoration.

A 2009 article in the Appeal-Democrat in Marysville, Calif., said Newlyn was awarded the Purple Heart after helping pull a man from the wreckage of a roadside bombing in Iraq, despite his own injuries. Newlyn nearly lost his leg during the September 2009 blast, the article said.

Times staff writer W.J. Hennigan in Washington contributed to this report.

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