A police officer riding his police motorcycle to work was killed Friday after being struck by a drunk man driving the wrong way on a Sacramento highway, officials said.
Officer Ty Lenehan, a six-year veteran of the Elk Grove Police Department, was riding on Highway 99 when he was hit around 5:15 a.m. He was taken to UC Davis Medical Center where he died, Elk Grove Police Chief Timothy Albright said.
“This is an incredibly sad day for the Elk Grove Police Department and the Elk Grove community,” Albright said. “We grieve for Ty’s family, our law enforcement family, and the Elk Grove community.”
The wrong-way driver, who was identified as Jermaine J. Walton, 31, was arrested after a DUI test showed he was driving under the influence of alcohol, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement.
He was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on several felony DUI-related charges.
The southbound lanes of Highway 99 were closed for hours.
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Lenehan began his law enforcement career in 2012 with the Citrus Heights Police Department. He then worked for the Galt Police Department before joining Elk Grove’s police force in 2016.
In 2020, Lenehan fulfilled his dream when he became a motor officer, Albright said.
He is survived by his wife and two children, Albright said.