A Vancouver Police constable has been hospitalized with serious injuries after his patrol car was struck by a group of joy-riding teens early Monday morning.

The officer and his partner were responding to an unrelated 9-1-1 call when they were struck by the car, which then caught fire.

Investigators believe the 16-year-old driver had been doing donuts – a reckless manoeuvre that involves turning a car’s wheels while accelerating in order to create a circular skid pattern – before colliding with the officers’ unmarked police car.

While the driver and his two teenaged passengers were uninjured, one police officer could miss months of work while he recovers. The second officer had less serious injuries and is recovering at home.

The driver was arrested at the collision scene and is facing numerous charges, including driving without a license and dangerous driving.

The intersection at Kingsway and Tyne was closed for several hours on Monday morning while officers from VPD’s Collision Investigation Unit collected evidence. Anyone who witnessed the collision, or anyone with dash-cam video from the area, is asked to call investigators at 604-717-3012.