FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Officer on Bicycle Collapses, Then Dies
A Brea police detective died after an apparent heart attack Tuesday during a bicycle training exercise with officers from several Orange County law enforcement agencies.
Danny Valenzuela, 39, collapsed as the cyclists peddled from the Westminster Civic Center to the Fountain Valley police firing range near Talbert Avenue and the San Diego Freeway.
Fellow officers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Valenzuela until paramedics arrived and took him to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at 11 a.m.
“We’re still in a really big state of shock here,” Brea Chief James E. Oman said. “Danny was an officer for 14 years. He was a very valuable member of our department. We’re going to miss him terribly.”
The father of four, Valenzuela received the Brea Police Department’s Distinguished Service Award in 1988.
“He took part in all levels of our department,” Oman said. “He was just a terrific guy. We’re going to miss him terribly.”
Valenzuela began on the Brea force as a patrol officer and became a detective in 1990, but remained part of the department’s popular bicycle unit, Oman said.
Before joining Brea, Valenzuela worked for the LaVerne Police Department. Funeral services are pending.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
