Officer Zachary Martinez was released from the hospital this week after an accident during a police chase that killed his partner, Officer Austin Machitar.
One San Diego police officer was killed and another was critically injured in an automobile collision on Aug. 26 while responding to a vehicle pursuit, according to local authorities.
Officer Austin Machitar died as a result of the accident while Officer Zachary Martinez, was released from the hospital this week roughly one week after the incident. Martinez was originally listed as being in critical but stable condition.
The collision occurred near Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said in a press statement. The suspect also died at the scene.
According to the SDPD, other officers were trying to stop the suspect’s vehicle for a speeding violation around 11:30 p.m. on August 26, but the vehicle refused to pull over, prompting a police pursuit.
Officers Machitar and Martinez responded to the scene and their vehicle collided with the suspect’s, resulting in the fatal and serious injuries to Machitar and Martinez.
According to KXTV, a SDPD supervisor had called off the chase due to the high speeds of the pursuit shortly before the collision occurred.
“(Machitar) was the kind of guy you want on your team,” Scott Wahl, Chief of Police for the SDPD, told USA Today. “He was athletic. He was a competitor. He had a passion for training.”
Machitar is survived by his sister and parents.
Martinez, an EMT and Navy Reservist, has been with the SDPD for 18 months and was trained by his partner, Machitar.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria spoke at a press conference last week about the incident and offered his support to Machitar and Martinez’ families.
“[Martinez’] wounds are extremely grave and he is fighting for his life,” Gloria said. “Your thoughts and prayers right now are needed more than ever to make sure that we get him back on the road to recovery.”
The California Highway patrol is still conducting an investigation into the crash and will release additional details at a later date.
