Galt police officer dies in hospital days after head-on crash on Highway 99
A Galt police officer who was involved in a crash last weekend as he and a partner were traveling to assist with the Caldor Fire has died, the department announced Friday morning.
Officer Harminder Grewal died Thursday evening following the head-on collision Sunday morning on Highway 99, the Galt Police Department said in a social media post.
Grewal had been hospitalized at Kaiser South Sacramento in intensive care since the incident, which also killed the driver of the other vehicle, identified as Manjot Singh Thind, 25, of Manteca.
Grewal’s partner, Officer Kapri Herrera, also suffered serious injuries and was in an ICU in “critical, but stable condition,” the department said.
Grewal, a 2½-year department veteran, is survived by his mother, father and brother, the Police Department said.
“He made the ultimate sacrifice while performing his duties as a public servant, responding to danger,” the department wrote in a statement. “Officer Grewal took pride in serving his community and his work ethic was contagious to all who worked with him. His service to our community will never be forgotten.”
He was remembered at a Friday news conference as a fast friend, a member of the department’s honor guard, named its officer of the year in 2020, a vital bridge to a community and always ready to serve.
“Officer Grewal made you feel like you knew him forever,” a somber Galt Police interim chief Rick Small told reporters at a Friday afternoon news conference outside Galt police headquarters announcing Grewal’s death, surrounded by a clutch of Galt officers. “People were just drawn to him. He drew people to him. That’s who he was.”
The deadly crash happened about 4:30 a.m. Sunday near Dillard Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. Grewal and Herrera headed out to work at the Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County as part of the state’s mutual aid program.
Because of the seriousness of the growing blaze, area police were called to assist, Small said.
“It was a community we don’t live in, but they gave up their free days to make sure they were safe as well,” Galt police Lt. Brian Kalinowski said at the afternoon briefing.
A Dodge Ram pickup truck heading south hit the median, broke through a barrier and struck the patrol vehicle, which was traveling about 70 mph, the CHP said. The two officers had to be extricated from the vehicle.
The pickup driver, Thind, was pronounced dead at the scene by fire personnel. The CHP said it was not known whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision.
Two passengers in the Dodge, both 26-year-old men, were hospitalized with injuries described as moderate.
Herrera remains hospitalized after undergoing a daylong surgery Thursday, Kalinowski said at the afternoon briefing, adding she was “making incredible progress.”
Kalinowski said Grewal’s partner “asked over and over to be here with us” for the Friday announcement.
Small reflected on Grewal’s loss and the impact on the community and department. The strength of Grewal’s family and the resilience of his officers is helping, he said.
“How do you move forward after something like this occurs?” he asked. “The strength of his family has encouraged us. I don’t think this is something you get over, but it is something you honor and you heal over time.”
Law enforcement, firefighters mourn loss
Elk Grove and Galt are separated by 12 miles. The men and women of the Cosumnes Community Service District Fire and Galt Police departments are as close as family, so close they share meals together at their station houses.
When Grewal was trapped in his mangled patrol cruiser, it was a Cosumnes fire crew who cut him and his partner free, pulling them from the wreckage.
On a smoke-hazed Friday morning, members of that family said goodbye from an Elk Grove Boulevard overpass overlooking Highway 99, waiting for the police procession from Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center that would bring Grewal home.
“We’re very close with their department. We know them very well,” said Cosumnes Fire Capt. Kevin Leveroni, looking out onto the highway.
A handful of Sacramento police officers and Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies joined Leveroni and his firefighters, their vehicles parked along the overpass. Two women, one wearing a T-shirt bearing the logo of the Galt Police Officers Association, held each other for support and held back tears.
Another leaned against the overpass’ chain link barrier, her hand pressed to a small American flag.
“It’s more than just proximity. We know them,” Leveroni said. “It was our fire department that cut them out. It’s very difficult to do a rescue like that with someone you know. It’s horrible.”
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Sgt. Darren Anderson is a department veteran with years under his belt. His badge carried the black strip of mourning that his fellow deputies have worn far too often. He looked onto the freeway as passing cars and tractor-trailers flashed lights and sounded horns in support of the fallen Grewal.
“It’s nice to see, even in tragedy, that we have this support,” Anderson said. “No matter what happens in the world around us, we have the support of the community.
“Every loss is hard.”
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 9:47 AM.
.JPG)