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An early morning hit-and-run collision in Harbor City killed one LAPD officer and left another one seriously injured when an SUV plowed into their patrol car as they pursued another vehicle. The wreck was so devastating that one of the officers had to use his cell phone to call for help because their radio had been damaged.
The officers made a U-turn when pursuing a speeding vehicle going the other way when they were 't-boned' by the SUV at about 3:45 AM near the intersection of West Anaheim Street and President Avenue. The driver of the SUV fled on foot but was taken into custody shortly afterwards. KTLA has identified the officer killed as 32 year-old Roberto Sanchez.
This incident is the third fatal traffic collision for the LAPD in the last two months. In March, Officer Nicholas Lee was killed when his car was involved in a collision with a dump truck in Beverly Hills. Officer Chris Cortijo was killed a month later in Sun Valley when he was crushed between two cars by a driver under the influence of drugs.
