Filipino American San Diego cop killed in crash during police pursuit

A Filipino American San Diego Police Department officer was killed in a car collision near the 5200 block of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard on Monday night.

Officer Austin Machitar, 30, and his partner, Officer Zach Martinez, 27, were responding to a police pursuit when the vehicle of the fleeing motorist – believed to be a 14- or 15-year-old boy who had fled an attempted traffic stop for speeding – collided with their cruiser at high speed, SDPD Chief Scott Wahl said in a press conference. A supervisor had called off the pursuit prior to the deadly collision due to concerns about the speed of the other car. Machitar and the teen driver died at the scene, while Martinez is in critical but stable condition, the SDPD said.