by Mark McDermott
Chad Swanson, a Manhattan Beach Police Department officer known for his selflessness and courage, died Wednesday in an accident on the 405 Freeway in Carson.
The 13-year MBPD veteran was a motorcycle officer. At 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, Swanson was on his motorcycle, northbound, on his way to work when what the California Highway Patrol believes was a four-vehicle collision occurred. Paramedics treated Swanson on the scene, and he was transported to Harbor UCLA Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
At a press conference near the scene of the tragedy later in the morning, CHP Lt. Steve Carapia said investigations are preliminary, but it appears a speeding motorist caused the accident.
“At this time, it looks like a vehicle may have been traveling at an unsafe speed and possibly conducted an unsafe lane change…making contact with another vehicle,” Carapia said. “At that time a vehicle was sent out of control. It looks like that vehicle may have been the one that collided with the motor officer.”
MBPD Lt. Kelly Benjamin said Swanson embraced his work as a motorcycle officer, which he began midcareer, in 2017.
“He loved riding his motor,” she said. “But most importantly, Chad loved his wife and his three boys. He had an infectious smile, and he was always positive. He was simply a joy to work with every day.”
Swanson’s bravery was legendary both on and off duty. In 2016, he was awarded the Medal of Valor for saving the life of a burglary suspect who’d wounded himself breaking a window to gain entry into a bar. Swanson performed life-saving measures even as the injury he was treating gushed blood all over him and his fellow officers.
In 2017, Swanson was in attendance at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas when a shooter opened fire on the audience, firing over 1,000 shots, killing 60, and wounding 413. MBPD records technician Rachel Parker and MBUSD teacher Sandy Casey were among those killed at the festival.
Swanson was among the wounded, suffering shrapnel wounds. Even so, with the shooting still underway and panicked festivalgoers running out of the venue, Swanson ran further in. He carried several injured fans out of the area, flagged down cars, and helped load the wounded people into the cars. Back inside, he applied tourniquets to gunfire victims.
“I was just focusing on helping everybody I could, taking out as many people as I could, just trying to make sure nobody was left alone,” Swanson said later, at a ceremony outside the MBPD police station.
“There was just so much blood,” Swanson said. “One of the ladies that I helped was shot in the leg, so I just tried to help whoever I could that was nearby, tried to grab whatever I could…and wrap it around it as tight as I could.”
As former MBPD chief Eve Irvine noted at the time, Swanson did all this while suffering from his own injuries.
“Even though Chad had been hit by shrapnel, he saw what was going on around him, he saw other people being shot, and he was able to successfully evacuate other shooting victims,” Irvine said. “He went back and forth to get those other shooting victims out of the way. And that’s pretty darned admirable.”
On Wednesday, Mayor Richard Montgomery praised Swanson’s example as a selfless defender of public safety.
“The entire Manhattan Beach community is mourning the loss of an officer who dedicated his career to ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents,” said Mayor Richard Montgomery. “His fearless contributions to our community and beyond were marked by bravery, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to duty.”
MBPD Chief Rachel Johnson said as much as Swanson touched the lives of those he served, he made even a bigger difference among those he served with at the department.
“Our beloved officer exemplified courage, and his impact reached far beyond the precinct, touching the lives of those who had the privilege of working alongside him,” said Chief Rachel Johnson. “His absence leaves an indelible void with our tight-knit law enforcement family and the community he served.” ER
