A Los Angeles Police Dept. (LAPD) officer was killed at 8 a.m. Friday and a second officer injured after their cruiser collided with a dump truck.
The LAPD reported the crash occurred near Robert Lane and Loma Vista Drive and confirmed the male officer who died on the scene was 40-year-old Nicholas Lee.
“We are grieving a hero,” Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said during a press conference just before 11 a.m. on March 7, about three hours after the crash.
Lee was a 16-year veteran of the LAPD who also served the Wilshire and Van Nuys Divisions before coming over to Hollywood Div. During his career, Lee received more than 70 commendations.
According to the LAPD, Lee leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.
“Nick was a great cop. His hard work, dedication and leadership helped mold young police officers into law enforcement professionals. Nick’s death is a great loss to our police family, all of law enforcement and the residents of Los Angeles,” LAPD Chief Charlie Beck stated.
A rookie female officer was a passenger in the patrol vehicle and was critically injured as a result of the crash; LAPD officials announced both her and the truck driver are expected to survive their respective injuries.
According to the LAPD, Lee and her partner, whose name has not yet been released to the press, responded to a radio call of “unknown trouble … when a large truck lost control and collided with their patrol car at Robert Lane and Loma Vista Drive in the city of Beverly Hills.”
Garcetti and Beck stated they visited the injured officer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
“She’s strong and is going to get through this,” Garcetti said of the female officer, who recently graduated at the LAPD Police Academy, during a press conference a few hours after the crash.
Aerial photos show the dump truck resting on its side; the mangled LAPD squad car was nearby.
It is unknown what caused the dump truck to collide with the patrol vehicle; Beverly Hills police officers are reportedly investigating the cause of crash.
The condition and identity of the dump truck driver has not yet been revealed, either.
The Los Angeles mayor requested all flags across the City remain at half-staff Friday in honor of the fallen LAPD officer.
Friday morning’s crash took place near the iconic Greystone Mansion.
Law enforcement agencies across Southern California were on Twitter moments after the news broke of the fallen officer, sending their respective condolences to members of the LAPD Hollywood Div.
