LAPD police officer killed in hit

AP

A Los Angeles police officer died and his partner was badly injured Saturday in a violent hit-and-run crash.

Officer Roberto Sanchez was reportedly chasing a speeder when he was T-boned by an SUV in Harbor City. The six-year veteran died shortly after in the hospital, authorities said.

'In this difficult time for the Los Angeles Police Department, sorrow comes to us by the tragic loss of our brother,' LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said in a statement, KTLA reported. 'His surviving partner officer, remains hospitalized. He will need your prayers while he recovers and copes with the tragic loss of not only a partner, but a best friend.'

Investigators are still trying to figure out what happened in the crash. Early details suggest the car Sanchez was chasing made a U-turn. When the officers followed, an SUV slammed into the side of their squad car, authorities said.

The crash was so bad, Sanchez's partner couldn't get to the radio and had to call for help from his cell phone.

The partner, who wasn't identified, suffered a broken jaw and other injuries.

The driver of the SUV ran off on foot. Officers detained a man - the driver, or possibly a passenger - shortly after.

Sanchez was the third LAPD officer killed in less than three months. Officer Nicholas Choung Lee, 40, died after a dump truck smashed into his patrol car.

An allegedly cocaine-fueled driver hit and killed motorcycle cop Chris Cortijo in April.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered flags lowered to half staff in honor of the fallen officers.

'This third loss of an officer in the line of duty in just two months is a stark and tragic reminder of the dangers our first responders face every day,' Garcetti said in a statement.

With News Wire Services.

dmmurphy@nydailynews.com