A memorial service was held on Thursday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to honor a recruit from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The recruit, Alejandro Martinez, tragically lost his life on July 28 last year after being struck by a wrong-way vehicle during a training exercise.
Alejandro Martinez, aged 27, battled severe injuries for eight months and ultimately succumbed to his wounds at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood. The service was presided over by Archbishop José H. Gomez, with law enforcement personnel from various local, state, and federal agencies coming together to pay their respects.
During the cathedral service, Training Bureau Capt. Patrick J. Macdonald, Sheriff Robert Luna, and Dayanna Martinez, the sister of the fallen recruit, delivered speeches. The media was not permitted to attend the service.
Following the service, Martinez’s casket was ceremoniously escorted out of the cathedral with a bagpipe presentation. A procession then made its way to Forest Lawn Covina Hills cemetery, where the Sheriff’s Mounted Enforcement Detail, including a riderless horse, joined in.
The death of Martinez was announced by the sheriff’s department on July 28. They stated, “On November 16, 2022, Alejandro was struck by a vehicle as he trained with his partners from Academy Class No. 464 and fought for his life for the past eight months. Today, Alejandro succumbed to his injuries. Surrounded by his family, friends, Sheriff Luna, and other department members in support of his family, Alejandro has now gone to his eternal resting place. Tragically, he was not able to fulfill his calling of helping others.”
The department sends their condolences to Alejandro’s family, friends, and academy classmates, vowing that he will forever live in their hearts and never be forgotten. They express deep gratitude to everyone who assisted and continues to assist, helping to ease the burden of that very difficult day.
Janice Hahn, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, also paid tribute to Martinez. She tweeted, “Last year, when we started a new effort to recruit more LASD deputies, Alejandro Martinez answered our call. His passing, months after that terrible crash, is nothing short of a tragedy. My prayers are with his family, his friends, and his fellow recruits. May he rest in peace.”
Martinez sustained his injuries when an SUV veered into a group of approximately 75 law enforcement trainees who were on a run in the 10600 block of Mills Avenue, near Telegraph Road. This incident occurred just blocks away from the sheriff’s STARS Explorer Academy law enforcement training center in Whittier.
According to sheriff’s officials, the recruits were running in columns northbound on the roadway when the southbound SUV swerved into their path, resulting in numerous injuries. In total, 25 recruits, including Martinez, were injured in the crash. The driver of the vehicle, Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez, 22, of Diamond Bar, admitted to falling asleep at the wheel.
Immediately following the incident, Gutierrez was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer. However, he was later released as the case required further investigation, as determined by sheriff’s officials.
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