2 COPS HURT, ONE CRITICALLY, IN HIT-AND-RUN.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Two Los Angeles Police officers were injured, one critically, Saturday after a driver hit them and sped away, officials said.

Officer Christopher Chavez, who is 27 and a three-year LAPD veteran, was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition in a coma.

Officer Leon Maya, who is 29 and has been with the department four years, was treated for sprains and minor injuries to his head, then released, officials said.

The two officers were standing by their patrol car as part of a perimeter set up to catch a domestic-violence suspect when they were struck about 12:50 a.m. near Heliotrope Drive and Beverly Boulevard, said Los Angeles police spokeswoman Renee Montoya.

The vehicle that hit them was described as a 1990s green minivan being driven west on Beverly Boulevard, Montoya said.

The driver was described as an Asian man, 40 to 45 years old, about 5 feet 6, and weighing 140 pounds. He had salt-and-pepper hair and wore small, round glasses, Montoya said.

Montoya said the suspect vehicle had damage on the right side and was missing a right side-mirror.

The minivan was last seen being driven north on Kenmore Avenue, Montoya said.