ABC affiliate KXXV reports that an Elk Grove police officer lost his life in the line of duty when he was struck and killed by a suspected DUI driver going the wrong way on a Sacramento highway.
At approximately 5:15 a.m. on Friday, January 21, 2022, Officer Ty Lenehan was riding his police motorcycle on Highway 99 to go to work when a wrong-way driver hit him.
The six-year veteran of the Elk Grove Police Department was rushed to UC Davis Medical Center, where he later died from the injuries he sustained in the crash.
The wrong-way driver has been identified as 31-year-old Jermaine J. Walton. After officers responding to the crash scene conducted a series of field sobriety tests, Walton was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Walton was booked into a Sacramento County Jail and is currently facing felony DUI and other related charges.
“This is an incredibly sad day for the Elk Grove Police Department and the Elk Grove community,“ Elk Grove Police Chief Timothy Albright said in a statement. “We grieve for Ty’s family, our law enforcement family, and for the Elk Grove community.”
Officer Lenehan was a veteran of the U.S. Aiir Force who began his law enforcement career in 2012 with the Citrus Heights Police Department. He transferred to the Elk Grove Police Department in 2016. He later became a motorcycle officer for the police force in 2020.
Officer Lenehan is survived by his wife and two children.
On behalf of the attorneys and staff of our firm, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and fellow officers of Officer Ty Lenehan.
