LYNWOOD – A Whittier police officer has been killed in a motorcycle crash in Lynwood.
“It is with great sadness that our department mourns the passing of Officer Lanell Whitfield, who was involved in an off-duty traffic collision earlier today in the city of Lynwood,” the Whittier Police Department posted Saturday on Facebook. “Officer Whitfield joined our department in October of last year, having worked previously for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“Officer Whitfield was a beloved partner and friend, and a dedicated protector of the community.”
The crash was reported at 3:32 p.m. Saturday at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Beechwood Avenue, said Deputy Tracy Koerner of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
The officer was pronounced dead at the scene, Koerner said.
A caller reported that a motorcycle was on fire and the driver was on the ground, he said. It was not clear whether the motorcycle collided with a vehicle or crashed into an object.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, Koerner said.
Whitfield was in his 20s, he said.
The Whittier Police Department said Whitfield was survived by his parents.
