LAPD officer Nicholas Choung Lee was killed in a traffic collision in Beverly Hills last Friday, when a squad car he was in collided with a large truck hauling a dumpster and a large piece of construction equipment near Robert Lane and Loma Vista Drive.

Officer Nicholas Lee died after an LAPD patrol car and this large truck collided on Loma Vista Drive in Beverly Hills last Friday. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

The incident occurred at approximately 7:54 a.m., as Lee and his unidentified partner — both of Hollywood Division — were traveling north on Loma Vista Drive, according to police. Lee, a 16-year LAPD veteran, was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver and Lee’s partner are expected to survive their injuries.

“On behalf of the city, we grieve a hero this morning — an officer who gave his life in the service of the people of Los Angeles,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “Every officer in uniform in the Los Angeles Police Department — any police officer in this city and this county — every single time they suit up, it could be the last day, and today it was.”

Lee, 40, had also worked for LAPD’s Van Nuys and Wilshire divisions. During his time as an LAPD officer, he had received more than 70 commendations, according to a press release. Recently, Lee had helped send a live birthday card to a 7-year-old boy who had been diagnosed with leukemia. He is survived by his wife and two young daughters.

“It’s a sad day today in the city of Los Angeles,” LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said, adding that Lee was a well-respected officer. “He was extremely well regarded for his ability as a training officer. He was a family man. …These are the most tragic of circumstances.”

He said Lee and his partner, a probationary officer who has been with the department for approximately three months, were responding to a call of “unknown trouble” in the city of Los Angeles. The officers were cutting through Beverly Hills when they were “involved in a catastrophic traffic collision,” Beck said.

Although the investigation is still in its preliminary stages, he said it appeared that the truck’s brakes failed as it traveled south on Loma Vista Drive, a “very steep” road near the Los Angeles-Beverly Hills border.

“As a matter of fact, it’s one of the only streets in the city of Los Angeles that has truck-braking warnings,” Beck said. “It’s a very difficult area for truck drivers.”

Police would not disclose which officer was driving, but commander Andrew Smith said senior officers typically drive the squad cars. Investigators also would not specify whether the officers were using lights and sirens at the time of the collision.

The crash caused the truck to flip over, and it came to rest near the intersection of Robert Lane and Loma Vista Drive. Members of the media could not view the involved squad car from the street.

“The police car is almost unrecognizable as a vehicle, let alone a police car, so it’s a miracle that anybody survived this collision,” Smith said.

The department has not yet released the surviving officer’s name, but Beck and Garcetti met with her at Cedars-Sinai. Beck said the officer is in “considerable” pain, but her injuries should not require surgery.

“She has a tremendous heart,” he said. “She is determined to recover from her injuries.”

Steve Soboroff, president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, also met with the injured officer. He said she was recovering at the hospital alongside her fiancé, two brothers and parents.

“I think that everyone in the room feels that she is the luckiest-unlucky person in the world,” Soboroff said. “To go through what she went through today with her partner officer is beyond horrific.”

He said she was wearing a neck brace, had bruises on her face and may have suffered a small concussion.

“She’s remarkably lucid,” Soboroff said. “She’s a winner. She’s an LAPD officer.”

At the request of the Beverly Hills Police Department, the California Highway Patrol’s multidisciplinary accident investigation team is handling the case. Smith said the investigation will be a long one.

After addressing the media, Beck and Garcetti were slated to visit with Lee’s family, as well as Hollywood Division officers.

Since the incident, several public officials have expressed condolences to the department. Beverly Hills Mayor John Mirisch attended the press conference on Friday afternoon and lamented L.A.’s loss.

“The important thing right now is that our thoughts are with the city of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department and the officers,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Friday was a “very sad” day for the department, specifically Hollywood Division.

“Our entire community mourns with the LAPD, the officer’s family and friends, and those who knew him,” he said in a statement. “Words cannot express our deep sorrow, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, and the family of the second officer.”

Flags were flown at half-staff at both the city and state level last week for Lee.

“Anne and I were saddened to learn of the death of officer Lee, who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his community,” Gov. Jerry Brown said. “We extend our sympathies to officer Lee’s friends, family and colleagues as they mourn this tragic loss.”

A Blue Ribbon Fund has been established in Lee’s name at the Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union, P.O. Box 10188, Van Nuys, CA 91410. For information, visit www.lapfcu.org.

Lee’s funeral will be held at 9 a.m. today at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St.