Off-duty Whittier police officer killed in motorcycle crash
An off-duty Whittier police officer was killed in a motorcycle crash Saturday in Lynwood, authorities said.
“It is with great sadness that our department mourns the passing of Officer Lanell Whitfield, who was involved in an off-duty traffic collision earlier today in the city of Lynwood,” the Whittier Police Department said on Facebook. “Officer Whitfield was a beloved partner and friend, and a dedicated protector of the community.”
The crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Beechwood Avenue, Sheriff’s Deputy Tracy Koerner told City News Service.
Whitfield, who was in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
He joined the department in October after a time with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, authorities said.
Police were investigating back-to-back shootings Friday night in Long Beach, including one that left a man wounded on a beach bike path and a second that left another man dead and a woman injured.
The sheriff’s department is investigating the crash.
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