(DailyVantage.com) – A Manhattan Beach, California, police officer was killed when he was thrown from his motorcycle on his way to work Wednesday morning, KTLA reported.
Chad Swanson, 35, a 13-year veteran of the Manhattan Beach Police Department, was riding his motorcycle on the northbound I-405 Freeway when he was struck by a vehicle that unsafely changed lanes at about 5:15 a.m.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and transported Swanson to the hospital, where he later died.
Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery said Swanson’s “fearless contributions” both for the Manhattan Beach community “and beyond” showed his “bravery, integrity, and unwavering commitment to duty.”
In 2017, Swanson was part of a group of MBPD officers who attended the country music festival in Las Vegas, where gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd, killing 60 and wounding over 400. Swanson was struck in the arm, while one of his colleagues was killed.
Swanson said at the time that when he heard the gunshots, he ran into the crowd, searching for victims.
He told the Daily Breeze that he wanted to “help as many people as I could.” He and his colleagues scoured the area for the wounded to “make sure we didn’t miss anybody.”
In 2016, Swanson was one of four MBPD officers who received the Life Saving Award for saving the life of a suspect who was bleeding from a self-inflicted wound. Harbor General Hospital staff credited the four officers with saving the suspect’s life.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Manhattan Beach Police Lt. Kelly Benjamin said that while Swanson loved riding his motorcycle, what he loved the most was his wife and three sons. Benjamin described Swanson as “an important member” of the police department and the community.
“We’re hurting. We are grieving,” Lt. Benjamin said.
According to KTLA, members of the community and officers from nearby police departments were seen stopping at the MBPD to pay their respects to Chad Swanson.
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