Officer Saul Martinez

Saul Martinez

Officer Saul Martinez succumbed to injuries he received when he was struck by a vehicle in the early morning hours of May 8, 1997, in Desert Hot Springs.

Officer Martinez and his partner were walking back to their cruiser after stopping for a vehicle on Dillon Road when a speeding car, which was driving on the shoulder, struck him. Just before the vehicle hit him, he pushed his partner out of the way, saving his life.

The misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter trial of the driver ended in a mistrial in 2000.

In a final act of service, Officer Martinez donated his organs.

Officer Martinez had served with the California Highway Patrol for eight years. A few hours after he was hit by the vehicle, he was named the Latino Peace Officer of the Year Award for San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Officer Martinez was posthumously awarded the Califonia Medal of Valor. The Saul Martinez Elementary School was named in his honor.