Deputy Sheriff Raul V. Gama

Raul V. Gama

Deputy Sheriff Raul Gama was killed when a vehicle went out of control and drove into the unmarked van he was in at 8:55 a.m.

The deputy was conducting surveillance at the time and was parked near the intersection of Oxnard Street and Rhodes Avenue, in North Hollywood, when the van was struck. He was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.

The driver was arrested and charged with felony manslaughter.

Deputy Gama had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 20 years. He had earned a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office Medal of Valor for helping rescue a family buried in debris from a runaway train in the city of Commerce in 2003. He is survived by his wife, four children, and his mother.