By Sandra McDonald
Los Angeles Times
VACAVILLE, Calif. — A motorcycle officer was killed in Vacaville, Calif., on Thursday morning in a major traffic crash at Leisure Town Road and Orange Drive.
Officer Matthew Bowen, 32, was struck by a car during a traffic stop and died at a hospital, according to the Vacaville Police Department. The driver was taken into custody, authorities said.
“He has served with the highest level of dedication and honor, and his loss is deeply felt by the department, the city and the community,” the department said in a statement.
Bowen started in Vacaville in June 2023 and was previously a police officer in the city of Concord , according to the department. He is survived by his wife, two sons, parents and brother, officials said.
A video taken by a bystander and posted to social media shows police and fire vehicles and caution tape blocking the intersection. A gray sedan with severe front-end damage is seen next to a traffic-light pole on the sidewalk, with debris littered across the intersection. A photo posted on X by a KCRA reporter showed a third vehicle that was apparently involved in the crash, a white Prius with rear-end damage.
Vacaville police said the intersection would be closed for much of the day and asked people to avoid the area.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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