Flags at Los Angeles County facilities will be flown at half-staff in memory of Alejandro Martinez, a law enforcement recruit who died eight months after a horrific crash during a training run.
On November 16, 2022, Martinez, along with dozens of other recruits, primarily from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, were participating in a training run when a car driving in the wrong direction plowed into the group, injuring 25 individuals. Martinez was among the most severely injured, sustaining broken legs, brain swelling, and internal bleeding. Tragically, eight months after the crash, the Army veteran and LASD recruit passed away at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
In response to Martinez’s passing, Janice Hahn, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, ordered all flags at county facilities to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the fallen deputy recruit.
“Last year, when we started a new effort to recruit more Sheriff’s deputies, Alejandro Martinez answered our call,” Hahn said in a news release. “His passing, months after that terrible crash, is nothing short of a tragedy. Our county owes Alejandro a great debt of gratitude we can never repay.”
The driver of the SUV, Nicholas Gutierrez, 22, from Diamond Bar, has been accused by some authorities of intentionally targeting the group of recruits. However, his attorney argued that he fell asleep at the wheel.
A procession was held on Friday night as deputies and law enforcement escorted Martinez’s body from the hospital to the L.A. County Coroner’s Office in Boyle Heights. The flags will remain at half-staff until all memorial services have been completed.