Officer Alec Sanders, a 28-year-old member of the Alhambra Police Department, was killed early Thursday during a high-speed pursuit when a fleeing SUV collided with his patrol vehicle.

A female passenger in the suspect’s vehicle also died, while another passenger was critically injured and the driver sustained moderate injuries.

Sanders, who previously served with the Long Beach Police Department, had joined Alhambra’s force eight months earlier and was remembered by the police chief as a reliable, respected officer and devoted family man.

He died at Los Angeles General Medical Center after being rushed there by ambulance with a police escort, News Nation Now has reported.

The crash shut down a stretch of Valley Boulevard as investigators examined the scene and the department held a procession in Sanders’ honor.