LOS ANGELES, CA – An off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy, identified as Martin Maciel, 40, died after a motorcycle collision Friday night in Long Beach, according to the Long Beach Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department.
Long Beach police said officers responded at 11:04 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, to a collision between a motorcycle and another vehicle at Pacific Coast Highway and East Second Street. The Sheriff’s Department announced Maciel’s death on Monday, Nov. 9.
According to the police collision release, the motorcyclist was riding southbound on Pacific Coast Highway when he entered the intersection of East Second Street. He collided there with a vehicle traveling eastbound on East Second Street.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner listed Maciel’s cause of death as blunt-force injuries. The Sheriff’s Department said he was off duty at the time.
The Sheriff’s Department’s announcement referred to Nov. 7 as the date of the crash, while the Long Beach Police Department’s collision release gives Nov. 6 at 11:04 p.m.
Rider pronounced dead at the scene
Long Beach police said officers who arrived at the intersection and Long Beach Fire Department personnel tried to save the motorcyclist. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the other vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, according to the police release.
In that release, issued Nov. 7, police withheld the rider’s identity pending notification of his next of kin. His name and age were later reported through the medical examiner’s case records and the Sheriff’s Department’s announcement.
Speed under investigation
Detectives with the Long Beach Police Department’s Collision Investigation detail are handling the case. Police said speed is being investigated as a possible contributing factor in the crash.
Police did not say which vehicle may have been speeding. The department’s release describes the paths of the two vehicles but does not assign fault.
Deputy was a 10-year veteran and Army Reservist
The Sheriff’s Department announced the loss in a statement Monday. “It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic loss of Deputy Martin Maciel, a ten-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and an Army Reservist,” the department said.
The department said Maciel was a valued member throughout his years of service and that those who served alongside him will remember his dedication. It said its thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and all who knew him.
The department said Maciel worked as a motorcycle deputy out of its Norwalk Station.
Hahn cites 2018 response in South Whittier
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents the 4th District, released a statement Nov. 9 mourning Maciel, who she said died in an off-duty traffic collision in Long Beach over the weekend. She extended condolences to his family, friends and colleagues in the Sheriff’s Department.
Hahn pointed to a 2018 call in South Whittier. “Just days after the Parkland shooting, he responded to a threat and found a stash of guns and ammunition in a teenager’s home,” the statement said.
Hahn said that response helped thwart a potential school shooting. She called his loss heartbreaking and said he will be missed by the neighborhoods he served and by the colleagues who worked beside him.
Request for information
Long Beach police asked anyone with information about the collision to call the Collision Investigation detail at 562-570-7110. Tips can also be given anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
Collision investigation remains active
The Long Beach Police Department’s investigation into the Nov. 6 collision is continuing, and police had not announced a final determination of the cause.
