Los Angeles firefighters salute colleague who died on duty after medical emergency
An on-duty Los Angeles fire battalion chief who was driving downtown Friday died after suffering a medical emergency while behind the wheel, then crashed into another vehicle, authorities said.
Jerome Boyd, 55, was a 30-year veteran of the department. He was assigned to the LAFD’s Public Safety section of its fire prevention bureau and led one of the department’s largest building inspection units, according to a Times report in 2016. Boyd’s city vehicle rear-ended a pickup truck at 17th and Los Angeles streets about 11 a.m., police said.
For the record:
9:17 p.m. April 26, 2024A previous version of this story said that Boyd was off-duty at the time of his death. He was on-duty.
Paramedics rushed Boyd to a hospital, but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
“I join the men and women of the LAFD in mourning Chief Boyd’s sudden passing,” LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas said in a statement. “It is always an unexpected tragedy to lose one of our own, and my thoughts and prayers are with this family at this difficult time.”
An autopsy has not yet been performed, and funeral details will be released at a later date, officials said.
Boyd’s body was taken to the coroner’s office Friday afternoon amid a procession of police cars, ambulances and fire trucks.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
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