OAKLAND — The procession for a rookie CHP officer killed in the line of duty by a suspected drunk driver began Tuesday afternoon to bring the body of the fallen officer from Oakland to Tracy.
Rookie CHP officer Andrew Camilleri Sr. was killed Christmas Eve when a suspected drunk driver drifted off Interstate 880 and slammed into the back of his patrol car just before midnight.
Camilleri, 33, a father of three, was killed, while his partner, Jonathan Velasquez, was injured.
Starting at 3:50 p.m., the process began, leaving the Alameda County Coroner’s Office at Peralta Oaks Court, with a convoy of police vehicles and motorcycles following.
The long line of police vehicles, with their lights and sirens on, followed the hearse that contained the body of Camilleri for the roughly 45-mile journey along Interstate 580.
Officers stopped traffic or slowed other cars down on the interstate to allow the procession to go through. Alameda County Fire Department firefighters also stood on top of their fire engines at overpasses along the procession, such as at 150th Avenue and 16th Avenue in Oakland, saluting as the hearse passed by.
Dozens of CHP officers and Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies lined up to to salute the flag-draped casket before it left Oakland.
Dozens of @CHP_GoldenGate and @ACSOSheriffs are lining up to salute #CHP rookie officer Andrew Camilleri, killed by suspected drunk driver. pic.twitter.com/yxKEi7tmD3
— Laura Anthony (@LauraAnthony7) December 26, 2017
The CHP’s Golden Gate office released information Tuesday afternoon that the procession for Camilleri is set to begin around 3:30 p.m. from Oakland to Tracy.
Other police agencies throughout the Bay Area are expected to participate in the procession as the officer’s body is transported to Fry Memorial Chapel.
Camilleri graduated from the CHP Academy in March and was working his first Christmas Eve shift.
The officers’ SUV was parked on the shoulder of I-880 near Highway 92 late Sunday night as they patrolled for dangerous drivers. Camilleri was in the front passenger seat, and Velasquez was behind the wheel. The Cadillac, driven by a 22-year-old, was driving so fast that the impact crushed the SUV into “a very small compact vehicle,” said CHP Assistant Chief Ernest Sanchez.
The crash shut down all southbound lanes on I-880 until 9:40 a.m. Monday.
Officers believe the driver of the Cadillac was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol when he got behind the wheel and headed south on I-880.
Check back for updates.
