Woman arrested in New Year’s crash that killed her spouse, an off-duty LAPD officer
A woman was arrested Thursday in connection with a crash early on New Year’s Day that killed her spouse, who was an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer, officials said.
Alayna Monroe, 25, was taken into custody about 9 a.m. on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood-alcohol level of greater than .08%, according to the Simi Valley Police Department.
The Simi Valley resident was driving at about 2:10 a.m. on Jan. 1 when she collided with another vehicle carrying an Uber driver and rider at the intersection of Cochran Street and Sycamore Drive in Simi Valley, police said. Monroe’s wife, Officer Heather Monroe, was a passenger in their car.
The Uber driver and her passenger were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a hospital, police said.
Heather Monroe joined the LAPD in 2009, according to department records. The 30-year-old officer was assigned to the Devonshire station in the San Fernando Valley, and had previously worked at the LAPD’s jail in Van Nuys and the department’s Mission division.
”Losing an officer is devastating, but the pain is intensified for the men and women of the department when it happens during what is supposed to be the happiest time of the year,” LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein said in a statement shortly after her death.
Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
