An off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputy was killed in a motorcycle crash in Long Beach, California, authorities said Monday. Martin Maciel, 40, was a 10-year veteran of the department and also served in the U.S. Army Reserve.
The crash happened around 11 p.m. Friday in the 6400 block of Pacific Coast Highway near East Second Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD).
Preliminary findings indicate Maciel was riding southbound on Pacific Coast Highway when he entered the intersection and collided with a vehicle traveling eastbound on East Second Street. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle remained at the location and cooperated with police.
Investigators are examining whether speed contributed to the collision. No additional injuries were reported, and authorities have not released further details about the circumstances of the crash.
LASD announced Maciel’s death Monday, remembering him as a dedicated member of the department who served in several assignments during his career. He joined the agency in 2016 after graduating from Academy Class No. 417 and began working at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles.
He later transferred to the Transit Services Bureau before joining the Norwalk Station in 2019, where he eventually became a motorcycle deputy.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn also paid tribute to Maciel, recalling his role in responding to a potential school shooting threat in South Whittier in 2018. Hahn said Maciel helped locate firearms and ammunition at a teenager’s home just days after the Parkland school shooting in Florida.
Hahn said his actions helped protect the community and offered condolences to his family, friends and fellow deputies.