A South Fulton police lieutenant was killed in a head-on crash while on duty Tuesday night, the department said.
Lt. Helio Garcia, 47, was driving his patrol vehicle on Flat Shoals Road near Hidden Brook Trail when another driver veered into his lane and struck him, according to the Georgia State Patrol. Both drivers were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, but Garcia did not survive.
“Lt. Garcia was a dedicated officer, a respected leader and a friend to many within the South Fulton Police Department,” the department said in a social media post. “His commitment to protecting and serving this community was unwavering, and his legacy will live on through the lives he touched both in and out of uniform.”
Investigators believe a 2016 Infiniti QX70 was westbound on Flat Shoals Road when Garcia was eastbound in a 2021 Ford Explorer, according to the state patrol, which was dispatched to the scene at 11:15 p.m.
The Infiniti’s driver, 31-year-old Santoria McLean of Atlanta, crossed the center line and struck the Explorer head-on, the GSP said. McLean remained at Grady later Wednesday. The crash is under investigation and charges are pending, according to the state patrol.
South Fulton police extended its “deepest condolences” to Garcia’s family, loved ones and those who served alongside him.
“Please keep Lt. Garcia’s family and our department in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this devastating loss. Rest easy, sir. We have the watch from here,” police said.
Garcia previously worked for both the College Park and Holly Springs police departments, according to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. He joined South Fulton police in September 2018, records show.
On his Facebook page, Garcia described himself as a “Man of God, father, husband, grandfather, protector and hero.” He is survived by a wife and three children, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page that tracks law enforcement deaths.
Garcia was the first South Fulton officer to die in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down page. The department previously lost a K-9 on Nov. 17, 2023. The dog was shot when officers fired at an aggravated assault suspect who was believed to be armed, police previously said.
The South Fulton officer is the second in Georgia to be killed in the line of duty this year.
On Feb. 7, Roswell police Officer Jeremy Labonte was shot and killed while responding to a call. He was 24. Labonte was investigating a report of a suspicious person off Holcomb Bridge Road when he was shot by 23-year-old Edward Espinoza, according to investigators.
Espinoza was arrested and charged with murder, aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony.
Gov. Brian Kemp joined various metro Atlanta police agencies sharing their condolences Wednesday with the South Fulton department.
“Marty, the girls and I are saddened by the tragic loss of @SouthFulton_PD Lt. Helio Garcia,” Kemp posted on social media. “As we keep his loved ones, fellow law enforcement and the entire South Fulton community in our thoughts and prayers, we ask that all Georgians join us in lifting them up as they grieve.”
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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