An Alhambra police officer and another person were killed early Thursday during a car chase that ended in a traffic collision.
Alhambra Police Chief Garrett Kennedy identified the officer as 28-year-old Alec Sanders during a news conference outside the Los Angeles General Medical Center, where the officer was taken following the crash.
Sanders had been with the department for eight months and had previously served at the Long Beach Police Department for about a year.
“He’s known for his unwavering reliability,” Kennedy said. “He was the type of officer who responded to every call whether he was dispatched to it or not, he was one of those officers.”
Kennedy said Sanders will be remembered for his “dedication, his kindness and the positive impact he had on everyone.”
“In fact, last night he came into work and covered a shift for somebody,” he said.
Officials did not provide details on what started the pursuit.
Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena), whose district includes Alhambra, said in a written statement that she mourned the loss of Sanders.
“This is a tragic loss of a young public servant who had just recently begun his position with the Alhambra Police Department, but who had already distinguished himself as the kind of reliable police officer who endeared himself to his fellow officers and to his community,” she said. “As the former Mayor of Alhambra, I know the deep loss this will leave in our close-knit city that stands together in times of loss and grief.”
California Highway Patrol Assistant Chief Joe Zizi said the traffic collision occurred just after 3 a.m. at the intersection of West Valley Boulevard and Edgewood Drive.
Zizi said the collision involved the officer’s patrol cruiser and a sports utility vehicle carrying three people, one of whom died at the scene. The other two passengers were taken to the hospital with major and moderate injuries, respectively, Zizi said. Authorities have not identified the person who died at the scene.
Zizi said the cause of the fatal crash is still under investigation.
Standing outside of the hospital, Kennedy described Sanders as a devoted “fiance and a dedicated family man.”
He said Sanders was passionate about fitness, liked to travel and was an “enthusiastic Dallas Cowboys fan.”
“He will be deeply missed by his family, friends and co-workers, who are all one and the same,” he said.
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