LOS ANGELES – The California Highway Patrol says a motorcycle officer who was critically injured in an accident on Interstate 405 in Los Angeles two weeks ago has died.
Sgt. Cindy Pontes says Officer Phillip Ortiz died at 5:50 p.m. Tuesday.
The CHP says Ortiz had pulled over an SUV June 9 on the right shoulder of the highway near the Interstate 10 interchange when he was hit from behind.
Witnesses told investigators that a car traveling on the shoulder that tried to pass slower traffic suddenly came upon the stopped motorcycle and SUV.
The CHP says the car crashed into the officer, shoving him and his motorcycle forward into the stopped SUV, pinning him in the wreckage until rescuers extricated him.