Hit by Taxi : Motorcycle Officer Dies in Accident

A veteran Los Angeles police officer was killed Tuesday afternoon when a taxicab turned in front of his police motorcycle, 16 hours after two other Los Angeles police motorcycle officers were struck by a car and injured.

Randol L. Marshall, 39, an 18-year police veteran, was riding his police motorcycle west in the 17700 block of Saticoy Street about 1:15 p.m. when he was struck by a taxi making a left turn into a driveway, said Sgt. Dennis Zine.

Marshall was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead of massive body trauma at 1:50 p.m., Zine said.

Headed for Therapy

At the time of the accident, Marshall was on his way to receive physical therapy from a job-related back injury before reporting to Valley Traffic Division to begin his shift, Zine said.

The driver of the taxi and his passenger were not injured. Their names were being withheld by police Tuesday afternoon.

The driver was questioned and released pending an investigation, Zine said.

The two other motorcycle officers, Harlan DeJongh, 36, and George Maycott, 42, were listed in good condition Tuesday at Medical Center of North Hollywood with injuries they suffered in an on-duty accident Monday, police said.

The officers were riding their motorcycles west on Riverside Drive at Cahuenga Boulevard shortly after 10 p.m. Monday when they were struck by a northbound car, Officer Mike Ewing said.

Broken Bones in Back

DeJongh suffered broken bones in his back and left hand, and Maycott sustained cuts and bruises and possibly a lacerated bladder, Ewing said.

The collision apparently was an accident, Ewing said, and no citation was issued to the driver of the car, Richard Schaffer of Toluca Lake. But Police were investigating whether Schaffer, who was traveling at a legal speed, might have entered the intersection on a red light, he said.

Motorcycle officers are given three weeks of special training and receive hazard pay because of the danger involved.

“It’s an extremely hazardous assignment,” Zine said. “We train them as best as humanly possible and still have these tragedies.”