Motorcyclist Killed in La Puente Crash with Undercover Officer

LA PUENTE, CA – A motorcyclist died Thursday morning after colliding with a police minivan driven by an undercover Alhambra police officer at a La Puente intersection, authorities said.

The crash was reported about 5:45 a.m. at East Amar Road and North Evanwood Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which responded but did not transport any patients. The collision occurred just before 6 a.m. at the same intersection. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene and had not been identified as of Friday, pending notification of next of kin.

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La Puente Motorcycle Accident with Undercover Officer

An Alhambra police officer at the scene said a department officer was working undercover and serving a search warrant when the collision occurred. Alhambra personnel attempted life-saving aid on the motorcyclist and that two people inside the police van were treated for minor injuries; ABC7 reported the van driver’s injury status as unknown. The Alhambra vehicle traveling south through the intersection after stopping at a stop sign while the motorcycle traveled west on Amar Road. How the two vehicles collided remains under investigation. Aerial footage showed a body-shielding tent, a toppled motorcycle, and damage to the van’s left side. Amar Road was closed for several blocks in both directions during the investigation. Watch commanders at both agencies declined comment hours after the crash, and a message left for an Alhambra PID was not returned.

The California Office of Traffic Safety recorded 583 motorcyclist deaths statewide in 2023, and Los Angeles County alone accounted for 125 of them that year, more than double any other county, according to UC Berkeley’s SafeTREC analysis of federal and state crash data.

A crash involving an on-duty police vehicle follows a different legal track than one between private drivers. Under Government Code § 815.2, a public entity can be held vicariously liable for an employee’s negligence within the scope of employment. Before suing that entity, claimants must present a written claim within six months under Government Code § 911.2, a deadline that runs regardless of the investigation’s status. 

Call J&Y Law for Legal Help

Families facing a loss like this confront a faster, more procedurally demanding claims process than an ordinary traffic case. J&Y Law represents California families in crashes involving public entities on a contingency-fee basis, meaning no fee is owed unless a recovery is obtained. Because the six-month filing clock starts running immediately, families should seek guidance before, not after, the investigation concludes.