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Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Won't Face Charges In Hit-And-Run Crashes

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Criminal charges won't be filed against former Commerce Secretary John Bryson, who was involved in a series of hit-and-run collisions in the San Gabriel Valley area last month.

Neither of the June 9 collisions involving Bryson resulted in serious injuries, and there were no indications that drugs or alcohol were factors, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's and San Gabriel Police departments. Bryson has said he blacked out because of a seizure.

Bryson, who has a home in San Marino, was driving a Lexus southbound in the 400 block of South San Gabriel Boulevard in San Gabriel just after 5 p.m. on June 9 when his vehicle rear-ended a Buick stopped on the street waiting for a train to pass, police said.

He spoke with the three men inside the car, then struck the car again as he left the scene, police said. The car followed Bryson while calling police.

Bryson then drove into neighboring Rosemead, where he struck a Honda Accord occupied by a man and a woman at San Gabriel Boulevard and Hellman Avenue just minutes later, police said.

He was later found alone and unconscious behind the wheel of his Lexus. He was treated at the scene by Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics and taken to a hospital, where he stayed overnight, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Bryson went on medical leave after the crashes. President Barack Obama announced Bryson's resignation as Commerce Secretary on June 21.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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