CHP officer who died after on-duty crash in Culver City may have suffered medical emergency

CULVER CITY, Calif. (KABC) -- A California Highway Patrol officer who died after he was involved in an overnight crash in Culver City may have suffered some sort of medical emergency, authorities said Wednesday.

The crash happened just after 12:30 a.m. at Bristol Parkway and Green Valley Circle.

During a morning press conference, CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee identified the officer as 34-year-old Miguel Cano, who was assigned to CHP's West Los Angeles office and was working when the crash occurred.

Duryee said Cano and his partner had just made an arrest and were in the process of transporting the suspect when Cano told his partner he wasn't feeling well.

"His partner acknowledged that he did not look well and shortly after, [Cano] lost consciousness," said Duryee. "His vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a tree. We believe he had some sort of medical emergency."

A California Highway Patrol officer died after he was involved in a crash in Culver City, authorities said.

Cano was transported to UCLA Medical Center and was pronounced dead shortly after at 1:30 a.m.

Further details weren't immediately available.

Duryee said Cano did not have any known health issues. He said the suspect that was being transported was in possession of drugs, but noted that investigators don't believe it played a role in Cano's death.

"We do not think this was an exposure to drugs. The other officer and the subject did not experience any signs or symptoms related to that," said Duryee.

The other officer in the vehicle was not seriously injured.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged the department's loss at an unrelated preess conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

"First officer in years in CHP we've lost in the line of duty, obviously a full investigation is underway," Newsom said. "It happened in Culver City on Wednesday, so our best to not only the officer's family, but the entire CHP family, as well."

Who is Miguel Cano?

According to Duryee, Cano had been working at CHP's West Los Angeles office since Nov. 3, 2023, which was when he graduated from the CHP academy.

This was Cano's second year with the department, and he was just awarded the Mother's Against Drunk Driving award last week.

"We're just very devastated by this loss," said Duryee. "We express our gratitude to the first responders who were there within seconds of the collision and provided medical aid."

Cano was married and lived in Moreno Valley. He is survived by his wife and parents.