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Funeral Service Set For LAPD Officer Killed In Car Crash

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Members of the local Korean-American community were expected to be among those on hand this week to honor a Los Angeles police officer killed in a car crash Friday.

KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta reports 40-year-old Nicholas Choung Lee was killed after his police cruiser collided with a trash truck that may have lost its brakes in Beverly Hills.

Funeral Service Set For LAPD Officer Killed In Car Crash

The incident took place about 8 a.m. Friday on Loma Vista Drive between Robert Lane and Doheny Road when the driver of the truck apparently lost control of the vehicle and struck the police cruiser, according to police.

Lee's partner, who has only been identified by LAPD officials as Stephanie, was released from the hospital on Saturday night. The driver of the trash hauler was also hospitalized, but was expected to recover.

RELATED: Heavy Duty Truck Had 'Some Kind Of Malfunction' In Crash That Killed Veteran LAPD Officer

Lee, a 16-year veteran who received more than 70 commendations, will be honored Wednesday night at a rosary service at St. Basil Catholic Church in Koreatown. The service will be open to the public.

A funeral service was scheduled for Thursday morning at Cathedral of Our Lady Of the Angels in downtown LA, where a large turnout is expected, according to LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith.

"We expect a huge outpouring from the Korean-American community," Smith said. "As you know, Officer Lee was born in Korea, and we expect a huge contingent of his family members and relatives and friends to be there as well."

Several streets around the cathedral are expected to be closed on Thursday morning.

Police officers from all over the state of California and across the nation were also expected to attend.

Lee was the 205th LAPD officer to die in the line of duty, according the LAPPL. The last was SWAT Officer Randy Simmons in 2008, according to Officer Nuria Vanegas of the LAPD's Media Relations Section.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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