Man Charged In Death Of South Bay Police Officer

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — A year after a pileup on the San Diego (405) Freeway took the life of a Manhattan Beach Police Department officer, prosecutors charged a truck driver for his death, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.

Raymond Eugene Sanders, 58, of Compton, is being charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the Oct. 4, 2023 crash that killed motorcycle officer Chad Swanson, 35. According to prosecutors, Sanders improperly secured boxes of lighting fixtures to his truck, causing several to fall on the roadway, causing the crash that killed Swanson.

Investigators determined that improper securement as a key factor in the crash, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Swanson was on his way to work when the crash occurred, throwing him from his motorcycle. He was rushed to Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance where he died.

"The life of Officer Swanson, a husband and father of three young children was tragically cut short," Gascón said in a statement announcing the charges. "He had honorably served the Manhattan Beach community for 13 years, and his loss is a profound one felt by his family, colleagues and all who knew him. This case is a grim reminder of the devastating consequences of negligence on our roads. Drivers must always remain vigilant and cautious — failure to do so can cost lives. Those who act recklessly and put others in danger will be held accountable.”

Sanders is scheduled to appear Jan. 3 at the Compton courthouse on one count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence involving. He could face up to one year in county jail if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The crash at Del Amo Boulevard resulted in all northbound lanes being closed in the area for hours while authorities investigated the crash that was reported at about 5:15 a.m. that day.

California Highway Patrol Chief Chris Margaris added in the statement that the CHP wanted to remind anyone transporting cargo that could spill on to a roadway that the cargo needs to be properly secured.

The CHP said last year that the crash involved Swanson's motorcycle and three other vehicles.

Manhattan Beach Police Department Chief Rachel Johnson said last year that Swanson had joined the department 13 years earlier and became a motorcycle officer in 2017. He previously worked as a civilian parking enforcement employee at the Hawthorne Police Department, Johnson said.

"Chad lived a life of service to the community," the chief told reporters. "His love for his work was evident each time I saw him. I last spoke with Chad on Sunday at the canine car show, and I watched as he lifted one kid after another kid onto his motorcycle to let them see what it was like to sit astride a police motor.

"He never tired of it. And I think he would have done it until sunset if that's what it took to make every kid's day. Chad was a bright star in a world that wasn't always the same. Chad was what I refer to as a seriously good dude. His infectious smile and laugh lit up every room he entered. To know Chad was to love him. If you weren't laughing when he was in the room, you simply weren't listening."

Swanson made headlines in 2017 for his efforts responding to the mass shooting at the Route 91 Music Festival in Las Vegas, which he was attending with his wife, Hailey, when the gunfire erupted.

"When the shooting started at the Route 91 festival, Chad didn't miss a beat," Hailey Swanson said during he husband's funeral service last Oct. 18.

She said her husband told her, "Those are gunshots and you need to get out of here."

"Before he disappeared into the chaos, he turned to me and said, `Hold my beer,"' she said, drawing laughs from the crowd. "He handed me his drink and I watched him run off into the gunfire. He was so grateful to have been there that night.

"So grateful to have been able to live out what God had created him to do. When we finally made our way back to each other the next day, he came strutting up so casually through the casino, shirtless, bloody. I ran up to him crying. The first thing out of his mouth was, `Where's my Koozie?' But that was Chad."

City News Service contributed to this report.