Austin Michitar, 30, who was hired by the department in March of 2019, died at the scene of a crash late on Monday night
Patrol cars and fire trucks cars lined several overpasses along Interstate 805 and state Route 52 to pay tribute to Officer Austin Machitar, whose body was taken from the county medical examiner's office to a mortuary on Friday morning.Michitar, 30, who was hired by the department in March of 2019, died at the scene of a crash late on Monday night when his patrol car was T-boned by a teen driver following a police pursuit that had been called off.
The crash that killed Machitar involved at least four vehicles around 11:30 p.m. near the intersection of Doliva Drive and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, just west of Interstate 805. "Austin had a very infectious smile and a character that made him one of a kind,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said during a news conference at Sharp Memorial Hospital on Tuesday evening.
Machitar's partner that night, 27-year-old Officer Zachary Martinez, was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital with severe injuries and remains in critical condition, according to the police chief. Martinez has been with the department since March 2023 and is a Navy reservist. Police say Machitar was a five-and-a-half-year veteran of the force who had a passion for training others. In fact, he trained Martinez, who remains hospitalized.Chula Vista
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