Officer severely hurt in deadly crash released from hospital

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- San Diego Police Officer Zachary Martinez, who was severely injured in last week's crash that left another officer dead, was released Tuesday from the hospital.

San Diego Police Department Chief of Police Scott Wahl made the announcement Tuesday during a news conference at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

"Today is a great day," Wahl said. "If you asked me a week ago that Officer Zach Martinez was going home, I wouldn't have believed it, but that is the case."

UC San Diego Health posted a video Tuesday on Facebook of Martinez being discharged from the hospital's regional burn center after being treated there for nearly a week following his transfer from Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Martinez can be seen being rolled out on a wheelchair with nurses and fellow police officers applauding his release.

“It was a true honor for our team to care for Mr. Martinez. We are so pleased he is now able to go home to continue his recovery,” said Jeanne Lee, MD, director of the Burn Center.

Martinez suffered burns, a broken neck and multiple facial injures from the crash that occurred on Aug. 26 just after 11:30 p.m. in the area of 5200 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., according to doctors. His patrol partner Officer Austin Machitar died at the scene of the fiery collision.

The crash occurred following a high-speed pursuit along Clairemont Mesa Boulevard that was called off after the vehicle, driven by 16-year-old Edgar Giovanny Oviedo, did not pull over for nearby patrols attempting a traffic stop.

Shortly after, the suspect vehicle collided with the side of a patrol car that Machitar and Martinez were in. Several other civilian vehicles also became entangled in the crash.

Machitar died at the scene, while Martinez suffered critical injuries. Oviedo, who didn't have a driver's license at the time of the incident, according to California Department of Motor Vehicle records, died at the hospital.

“Austin was the kind of guy you want on your team. He was athletic, he was a competitor, he had a passion for training, he was one of our field training officers,” Wahl said the day after the crash about Machitar, who trained Martinez in 2023.

When first responders approached Martinez, who was ejected from the vehicle, one of the officers, also an EMT, thought Martinez was dead, according to Wahl.

"He (the officer) said he tested for Martinez's pulse and was surprised when he found one. From that moment, the care, the love and the support that has been surrounding Office Martinez, and by the grace of God, we are very grateful he is going home today," Wahl said.

Wahl, however, called Martinez's road to recovery "very long" and that "his list of injuries has not lessened."

Martinez told Wahl he wanted the public to know that the care that he received from the nurses and the doctors at Sharp Memorial Hospital was "nothing short of amazing."

"He is very grateful and he appreciates all the prayers that he's been receiving," Wahl said on behalf of Martinez.