A violent hit-and-run crash killed a Los Angeles police officer and critically injured another on Saturday, NY Daily News reported.
Officer Roberto Sanchez was reportedly chasing a speeder when he was T-boned by an SUV in Harbor City. The six-year veteran died shortly after in the hospital, authorities said.
"In this difficult time for the Los Angeles Police Department, sorrow comes to us by the tragic loss of our brother," LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said in a statement, KTLA reported. "His surviving partner officer remains hospitalized. He will need your prayers while he recovers and copes with the tragic loss of not only a partner, but a best friend."
The movements of the crash are still trying to be pieced out by investigators.
According to NY Daily News, early details suggest the car Sanchez was chasing made a U-turn. When the officers followed, an SUV slammed into the side of their squad car, authorities said.
Sanchez's partner, not identified, suffered a broken jaw and other injuries. He was forced to call for help from his cell phone instead of the radio due to the severity of the crash.
Although the driver of the SUV ran off on foot, officers were able to detain a man - the driver, or possibly a passenger - shortly after.
"Sanchez was the third LAPD officer killed in less than three months. Officer Nicholas Choung Lee, 40, died after a dump truck smashed into his patrol car," NY Daily News reported. "An allegedly cocaine-fueled driver hit and killed motorcycle cop Chris Cortijo in April."
Flags were ordered by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be lowered to half staff in honor of the fallen officers.
"This third loss of an officer in the line of duty in just two months is a stark and tragic reminder of the dangers our first responders face every day," Garcetti said in a statement.
