At 8:55 a.m. on Tuesday, May 1,
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Raul Gama (43) was
working undercover monitoring a suspect near Oxnard Street
and Rhodes Avenue when a San Fernando teen, who officials
say might have been drunk or on drugs, plowed his car into
the deputy's parked surveillance van. Five other deputies
and a sergeant – part of the surveillance team investigating
a major crimes case – were nearby, but not in the vehicle.
Gama, a 20-year veteran and Medal of
Valor recipient, was rushed to Providence Saint Joseph
Medical Center in Burbank, where he died. Police arrested
Luis Yanez (18) on felony manslaughter charges. His bail was
set at $50,000.
Deputy Gama, a Medal of Valor
recipient, died on the 20th anniversary of his graduation
from the Sheriff’s Academy. He is survived by his wife
Monica, and children Crystal, Anita, and Marco Antonio Gama.
