An off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer riding a motorcycle died after colliding with a vehicle at an intersection with no traffic light in Torrance Saturday afternoon, officials confirmed.
The officer was 24 years old and worked with the LAPD for about 18 months, according to LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith.
A friend of the officer told KTLA he finished probation with the LAPD Southwest Division the day of the crash.
He was scheduled to begin a new division Sunday, LAPD Harbor Division Sgt. Joel Sydanmaa said.
The collision occurred on the border of Harbor City at the intersection of South Western Avenue and West 234th Street (map), Torrance Police Department Lt. Mike Jezelin told KTLA around 6 p.m.
The officer was traveling south on South Western Avenue when he collided with a vehicle traveling eastbound and negotiating a left turn from West 234th Street onto South Western Avenue, Torrance police Lt. Brian O’Steen said.
Northbound and southbound lanes on South Western Avenue were expected to be closed for several hours, a department news release stated.
The Torrance Police Department originally stated three vehicles were involved in the collision. The number of vehicles was later said to be two.
The officer was the sixth LAPD officer to die in a traffic collision in 2014.
KTLA’s Brianna Ruffalo and Crystal Garcia contributed to this report.