A Los Angeles police officer was killed on Saturday following a violent hit-and-run accident.
LAPD Officer Roberto Sanchez died of injuries sustained when the patrol car he was driving was blindsided by an SUV.
The surviving officer, whose name was not released by authorites, was forced to make a call for emergency assistance from a personal phone.
The squad car was reportedly so damaged by the collision that the police radio wasn’t working.
The unnamed police officer was hospitalized for injuries that included a broken jaw. The individual was referred to by LAPD Chief Charlie Beck as Sanchez’s “best friend”.
Mayor Eric Garcetti has ordered city flags lowered to half mast.
#LAPD News: #fallen #Police #Officer II Roberto C. Sanchez is #EOW May 3, 2014 #lawenforcementfamily #RIP pic.twitter.com/Vdh5shCQfZ
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) May 3, 2014
The mayor also reminded the public that the six-year veteran of the LAPD is unfortunately the third officer lost in the line of duty in just two months.
Said Garcetti, “This third loss […] is a stark and tragic reminder of the dangers our first responders face every day.”
“Today the world has lost a true hero,” Los Angeles Police Protective League President Tyler Izen said in a statement. “Roberto will be greatly missed as a protector of our society and even more as a person.”
1 #LAPD officer killed, another injured in #HarborCity hit-and-run; Suspect in custody http://t.co/F1oipRri4v pic.twitter.com/P7SutbpPSe
— Daily Breeze (@DailyBreezeNews) May 3, 2014
The investigation into the fatal car accident is still ongoing. LAPD officials are working hard to find answers as to exactly what happened and what person or persons are responsible.
Early reports suggest that the officers had been following a car when that car and the SUV each made a sudden U-turn. The SUV then slammed into the patrol car.
The driver of the SUV that killed Sanchez fled the scene shortly after the crash occurred.
Though no arrests in the case have been made, a person of interest was later detained by authorities.
The two other officers killed in recent months were Officer Nicholas Choung Lee and motorcycle officer Chris Cortijo.
All three officers died as result of traffic collisions.
Officer's death marks 3rd on-duty fatality for LAPD in 2014. Updates on the NBC4 News at 11 http://t.co/pkzUEowifS pic.twitter.com/HPeHlZhB0A
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) May 4, 2014
Image via YouTube