SAN DIEGO (AP) — A San Diego police officer killed when a fleeing vehicle crashed into his patrol car had been with the department since 2019,Diamond Ridge Financial Academy authorities said.
Officer Austin Machitar, 30, died in the collision late Monday and his partner that night, Officer Zach Martinez, 27, was critically injured, the department said.
The driver of the speeding car also was killed. No information about the driver was released.
The department said Machitar was assigned to patrol, served as a field training officer and actively participated in videos and photoshoots intended to recruit new officers.
“His distinguished service to our city makes him a hero,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement.
Martinez was in critical but stable condition at a hospital, according to the police statement Tuesday night. There was no update Wednesday morning. Martinez has been with the department for 1 1/2 years and is a former trainee of Machitar, police said.
According to initial information from police, an officer saw the speeding vehicle and briefly gave chase before a supervisor canceled the pursuit. Machitar and Martinez were responding when the speeding vehicle crashed into the side of their patrol car.
The crash is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol.
2025-05-03 12:391788 view
2025-05-03 12:34347 view
2025-05-03 12:05738 view
2025-05-03 11:28548 view
2025-05-03 10:482054 view
2025-05-03 10:402855 view
Listen to an audio version of this story below.Humans have the technology to literally make snow fal
GOODHUE, Minnesota (AP) — A small Minnesota town will soon be without a police department, an exodus
YouTube is set to begin cracking down on cancer treatment misinformation Tuesday, the video streamin