In loving memory of Officer Nicholas Lee

Los Angeles Police Department

End of Watch: 3/7/2014

Los Angeles Police Department officer Nicholas Choung Lee, 40, was killed March 7th in a crash involving a big rig and his patrol vehicle that left a trainee officer and the truck driver in critical condition.

The crash occurred at approximately 8 a.m. at the intersection of Loma Vista Drive and Robert Lane. Authorities said the truck, which was hauling a trash container, was traveling downhill on Loma Vista Drive as the cruiser was traveling uphill. Early reports indicate that the truck driver may have lost control and then hit the cruiser. The truck may have had some kind of mechanical failure, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said.

Fire-rescue personnel responded to the crash in the Beverly Hills area. Lee, who was assigned to the LAPD Hollywood Division, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A probationary female officer, who recently graduated from the academy and whom Lee had been training for 3 months, suffered a concussion and was hospitalized. The truck driver was also hospitalized and in critical condition. The officers were responding to a call at the time of the crash.

Lee was a 16-year veteran of the department. He is survived by his wife and 2 young daughters.