Norwalk deputy dies in off-duty motorcycle crash

NORWALK – Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Martin Maciel, who served as a motorcycle deputy in Norwalk, died Saturday night in an off-duty motorcycle crash in Long Beach. He was a 10-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department and served in the Army Reserve.

The crash occurred shortly after 11 p.m. at Pacific Coast Highway and East Second Street, according to Long Beach police, as reported by CBS Los Angeles. Police said Maciel was riding south on Pacific Coast Highway when his motorcycle collided with a car at the intersection.

Responding officers found Maciel in the roadway. Police and fire personnel tried to aid him, and he was pronounced dead shortly afterward. The driver of the car remained at the scene. Investigators said they believed speed contributed to the crash but did not specify which vehicle may have been speeding.

Maciel joined the Sheriff’s Department in 2016 and graduated from Academy Class 417. He began his career at Twin Towers Correctional Facility and later patrolled with the Transit Services Bureau. He transferred to the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station in 2019 and went on to serve as a motorcycle deputy on the Norwalk Enforcement Team.

“Deputy Maciel’s years of service to Norwalk and commitment to public safety will be remembered,” the city said in a statement Monday. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues at the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station and all those affected by this loss.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn recalled that Maciel helped thwart a potential school shooting in South Whittier in 2018, days after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“His work that day and on so many other occasions saved lives and made our communities safer,” Hahn said, according to CBS Los Angeles.