Hundreds gathered Thursday in downtown Los Angeles to pay their respects to the LA County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) recruit who died of the injuries he sustained when a driver plowed through a group of recruits on a training run last year.
Mourners at the Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral paid their respects to Alejandro Martinez, who died July 28 after an eight-month battle with severe injuries, according to the sheriff’s department. Just prior to his death, Martinez was on a run with his academy colleagues in Whittier when a wrong-way driver struck the recruits, leaving 25 people injured.
“The more you know about the Martinez family, the more you just love them,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna. “And we’re all trying to draw from their strength.”
In a statement regarding Martinez’s death, LASD expressed their sorrow over the loss.
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“Our condolences go out to Alejandro's family, friends, and academy classmates,” a statement from the sheriff’s department said. “He will forever live in our hearts and never be forgotten. Words cannot express the extent of our gratitude to everyone who assisted, and continue to assist, and helped ease the burden of that very difficult day.”
Funeral attendants looked back fondly on the 27-year-old’s life.
“What was produced from that family was just a beautiful young man,” said Guillermo Preciado, who attended the memorial service.
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The driver in the incident, who was identified as Diamond Bar resident Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez, was arrested hours the crash on a charge of suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer. He was released a day later with sheriff’s officials calling the case complex.
The investigation is ongoing.
