Two Tampa police officers to return to work after downtown crash

TAMPA — Two police officers hurt in a crash Sunday will return to work Tuesday, police said.

At 1 a.m., officers Gary Saunders and Robert Partner were headed south on Tampa Street in an unmarked Crown Victoria when they collided with a Ford Explorer westbound on Polk Street, police said.

They were taken to Tampa General Hospital in serious condition, but they were fine by Monday, said police spokeswoman Andrea Davis. One of the officers was released from the hospital on Sunday.

The driver of the other car, Charles D. Barrett, 34, was uninjured.

It wasn't clear Monday which officer was driving. It may be up to a week before it's clear who was at fault, police said. Investigations tend to take longer when a crash involves injuries, Davis said.

Detectives were reviewing footage from a camera at a nearby business. A witness reported the officers had a green light at the time of the crash, Davis said.