Fallen LA County Sheriff to be Interned in Glendora's Oakdale Memorial Park

GLENDORA, CA — Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Al Lopez, who died of a heart attack Oct. 24 while on duty in Compton, will be interned in Glendora's Oakdale Mortuary following his memorial service on Wednesday Nov. 2.

Lopez transferred to the sheriff's Compton Station in 2015 after many years in the Special Victim's Bureau.

He is survived by a wife and two adult children.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell is expected to be among the mourners who will gather for the 11 a.m. service at Christ's Church of the Valley, 1404 West Covina Blvd. The memorial service will be closed to the general public, but it will be streamed online at: live.lasd.org.

"It is a tremendous loss to all of us," McDonnell told reporters gathered outside the hospital following Lopez' death. "Sergeant Lopez was a great Sergeant and person."

After the estimated two-hour memorial service, Lopez's interment will be at Oakdale Memorial Park, 1401 S. Grand Ave., in Glendora.

In what the LA Sheriffs call his last act of leadership, Sergeant Lopez left the Compton Station to provide assistance with a stolen vehicle pursuit.

"Sergeant Lopez drove his vehicle out of the parking lot, and was immediately involved in a slow speed traffic collision," they said.

The 47-year-old officer died at a hospital shortly after the crash, just before 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 24 at Myrrh Street and Willowbrook Avenue. An autopsy later determined that the 26-year veteran had suffered a heart attack and his death was listed as the result of natural causes, the coroner's office reported.

Lopez had gotten into his patrol car to assist other deputies who were involved in a pursuit of a stolen car, McDonnell said. However, the pursuit was called off about the time that the sergeant was pulling out of the parking lot of the Compton Station, McDonnell said.

A short time later, about 100 yards away, the patrol car crashed into a wrought-iron fence, McDonnell said. The chase had been called off for safety reasons, in part because of the rainy weather that day, the sheriff said.
The loss was another blow for a department still reeling from the Oct. 5 on-duty killing of Lancaster Station Sgt. Steve Owen.

"Mourning the loss of one fallen brother is hard enough," said Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association President Brian Moriguchi. "But two in the span of three weeks seems unbearable. ... Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lopez family, including his wife and children, along with many colleagues and friends on the department."

The Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs also issued a statement mourning Lopez's death.

"All of our ALADS members will be grieving the loss with Sergeant Lopez's family members, friends, and fellow deputies. We would ask everyone to keep the men and women in law enforcement in your thoughts and prayers."

A GoFund account has been established for the family of Sgt. Lopez.

City News Service contributed to this report