LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Two people were killed, including a longtime Los Angeles police sergeant, in a crash on the 405 Freeway that prompted the closure of all southbound lanes for several hours Monday morning.
The deadly collision happened in southbound lanes around 2 a.m. at Moraga Drive, according to the California Highway Patrol.
AIR7 was over the scene where a marked LAPD vehicle was seen with damage to the driver’s side door. Several other damaged cars were seen strewn across freeway lanes.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene. That person’s identity has not been released.
At a news conference several hours after the crash, Chief Jim McDonnell confirmed that Sgt. Shiou Deng also died at the hospital. He was a 26-year veteran of the LAPD, and spent a large portion of that time working in the mental evaluation unit.
McDonnell said Deng was fatally hit by a passing car after he got out of his vehicle to assist with the car crash.
“He was a deeply respected leader within our department and a trusted protector of our communities,” the chief said in a statement. “His loss is immeasurable, and the grief we feel is shared not only by the men and women of the LAPD, but by the entire law enforcement family and the residents he served so faithfully.”
A somber procession escorted Deng’s body from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center to the medical examiner’s office near downtown Los Angeles.
In a social media post, Mayor Karen Bass offered condolences to the sergeant’s family.
A third person in one of the others cars that crashed was taken to the hospital, but details on that person’s condition were not available.
The 405 Freeway fully reopened around 12:30 p.m. after hours of delays.
