LA Sheriff's Department Loses Second Deputy To COVID-19 This Week

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department lost a nearly 25-year veteran to an illness related to COVID-19, the department announced Wednesday. He was the second deputy to die from the disease this week.

Sgt. Armando Menese died Tuesday just two days after another 25-year veteran died of the coronavirus, according to the sheriff's department. Their deaths underscore the heavy toll the outbreak has had on law enforcement in Los Angeles. Nearly 3,000 of the department's employees have contracted the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.

"Sergeant Armando Meneses was a dear husband, father & almost 25 year veteran of our Department," LASD said in a tweet. "He was a truly honorable man with a golden heart. Please keep him and his entire family in your prayers."

On Sunday, Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Deputy Pedro Romo, a 25-year veteran of the department and a school resource deputy, died Sunday. He had worked for the past 13 years as a school resource officer at Valencia High School.

As of Wednesday morning, 2,856 sheriff's department employees had tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including 1,910 sworn personnel, according to the department's website.

City News Service contributed to this report.