Ethnic Armenian LAPD officer killed in traffic collision

An off-duty ethnic Armenian Los Angeles Police officer on a motorcycle was killed in a traffic collision in the city’s Porter Ranch on Thursday evening, Los Angeles Times reported.

The officer, identified as 34-year-old John Gasparyan of Canyon Country, was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries, said Officer Mike Lopez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Lopez said a preliminary investigation found that Gasparyan was riding southbound on Tampa Avenue when he collided with a car ahead of him making a U-turn in the opposite direction

“Right now, it appears to be a tragic accident,” Lopez said. “However, investigators will be on scene trying to determine who was at fault.”

The driver remained at the scene after the crash and was cooperating with detectives, Lopez said.