Los Angeles prosecutor won't file charges against ex-Commerce secretary
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The Los Angeles district attorney's office announced Tuesday it will not charge former U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson over a string of car crashes last month.
The office declined to prosecute the case after San Gabriel police reportedly sought felony hit-and-run charges against the ex-official.
But in a document released Tuesday, the district attorney's office said doctors believed Bryson's claim that he had suffered a seizure.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
"Both treating doctors agree that suspect was suffering from confusion following a seizure and crashed as a result," the document said. It said Bryson tested positive for a "low" level of Ambien -- but that it could not be cited as a factor in the crashes and that Bryson also tested negative for alcohol and controlled substances.
Bryson resigned June 21 after the incident. He claimed he suffered a seizure and that he didn't want his health to be a distraction from his job.
Authorities said Bryson struck a car stopped for a train twice and then rammed into another vehicle with his car a few minutes later. He was found unconscious in his vehicle.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the San Gabriel Police Department said that in the first crash, Bryson was driving alone in his Lexus on a major street when he allegedly struck the rear end of a Buick. He spoke with the occupants of that car before leaving the scene and "hitting the same car again as he left the scene," according to a police statement.
The agencies said minutes later he struck another vehicle, a Honda Accord, in a nearby community, and police found him unconscious behind the wheel of his car. Bryson took a brief medical leave of absence from the Obama administration before resigning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.