John Bryson, U.S. Commerce Secretary, Implicated in Back-to-Back Hit-and-Run Crashes

U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson was implicated in two hit-and-run crashes Saturday, which an agency spokesman says were due to a seizure.

"Secretary Bryson was involved in a traffic accident in Los Angeles over the weekend. He suffered a seizure," Jennifer Friedman said in a statement.

"He was taken to the hospital for examination and remained overnight for observation. He was released and has returned to Washington. The investigation is ongoing."

"Secretary Bryson has no public events scheduled for today."

Bryson had no security detail with him during the crashes because he was driving his own vehicle on personal time in California, sources said.

He 68-year-old was cited for felony hit-and-run following the Saturday incidents but was not booked in jail because he was taken to a hospital.

Authorities said that Bryson was cooperative with detectives, and that drugs or alcohol do not appear to have been a factor in the crashes.

"The investigation is still in its preliminary stages," officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and San Gabriel Police Department said.

Bryson was driving a Lexus in the 400 block of South San Gabriel Boulevard shortly after 5:00 p.m. Saturday when he allegedly rear-ended a Buick as it was waiting for a train to pass, according to the statement.

After briefly stopping to talk to the three men inside the Buick, Bryson left in the Lexus and then struck the Buick a second time, authorities said.

The men followed Bryson's car and called 911 to ask for police assistance.

Bryson continued to drive his Lexus into Rosemead, which is patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, authorities said.

There, he allegedly crashed into a second vehicle near the intersection of San Gabriel Boulevard and Hellman Avenue, according to reports.

Officers found him alone and unconscious behind the wheel of his car.

Bryson was chairman of Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, for 18 years until 2008. He was sworn in by President Obama as the head of the Commerce Department in October.

He reportedly gave the commencement address Thursday at Pasadena Polytechnic School, which several of his daughters attended.

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