The Los Angeles Police Department’s Mission Area Station is hosting its 3rd Annual Memorial Bike Ride, “A Ride to Remember, In Honor of All Fallen First Responders,” on Sunday.
Over 100 bikers will embark on a 25-mile ride through the northwestern parts of the San Fernando Valley. The event aims to raise funds for the families of Mission Area’s fallen officers, Officer Val Martinez and Officer Nicholi Darkus, and for the Mission’s youth programs.
Officer Martinez contracted COVID-19 while on duty and succumbed to complications in July 2020 without having the opportunity to meet his newborn twin boys. Officer Darkus was diagnosed with cancer shortly after graduating from the Police Academy and passed away last month, leaving behind a wife and three children.
Participants in the event expressed the importance of supporting all fallen officers because the loss affects the entire community. The event is scheduled to take place from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.