Galt officer dies from crash injuries
‘His service to our community will never be forgotten’
Harminder Grewal, 26, was named Officer of the Year in 2020
GALT — One of the Galt Police Department officers injured in a head-on collision on Highway 99 last weekend has died from his injuries.
Galt police announced Friday morning that Officer Harminder Grewal was pronounced dead at Kaiser South Sacramento late Thursday night. He was 26.
“Officer Grewal took pride in serving his community and his work ethic was contagious to all who worked with him,” the department said in a social media post. “His service to our community will never be forgotten.”
Grewal and fellow officer Kapri Herrera were traveling northbound on Highway 99 at 4:35 a.m. Sunday when their patrol car was struck head-on by a Ford pick-up truck that jumped the concrete median from the southbound lanes.
Both officers were extricated from the vehicle, and Grewal was taken to Kaiser Hospital in critical condition. Herrera was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, where she is in the intensive care unit, but in stable condition.
An officer with the Galt department for more than two years, Grewal was named the 2020 Officer of the Year in June, and was recognized by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving California at a March awards ceremony for helping remove 64 impaired drivers from the streets last year. Grewal made more than 30 arrests for impaired driving in 2020.
While details of the accident’s cause have not been determined, Galt Mayor Shawn Farmer said it would be “tragic irony” if the investigation found that alcohol was a factor.
“He was very well-loved in the department,” he said. “He was probably one of the more favorite officers in town among the
residents. It’s going to be a hard blow to the community.”
Farmer said he knew Grewal, but had not had the opportunity to get to know him as well as other officers in the department.
“It will really be a blow to the department,” he said. “It’s a very close-knit department, and they all see each other as brothers and sisters. It will be hard on all of us, even the first responders who were out there that morning trying to save him and Officer Herrera.”
A procession transported Grewal’s body to Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home on Industrial Way Friday morning. Later in the afternoon, the Galt Police Department held a press conference, where Chief Richard Small said Grewal was a “valued member” of the Honor Guard, and had recently been selected to join the motor unit.
Grewal was scheduled to begin motorcycle training next week, Small said.
“More important than his achievements, was the deep respect he earned from every member of our department,” Small said. “He was incredibly loved by everyone he worked with. This is a tremendous loss to our department and our community. Officer Grewal epitomized what being a police officer stands for, and we will strive every day to honor his memory.”
Officer Michael Little, president of the Galt Police Officers Association, said in the two and a half years Grewal had been with the department, he became best friends with every member.
He said every officer that knew Grewal or talked to him believed he was the epitome of what a police officer, and human being, should be.
“His smile lit up the room, his mustache started every conversation,” Little said. “And he had the biggest heart. He would do anything you asked of him, at any moment in time. I don’t think he knew what the word ‘no’ meant.”
Little added that with Grewal’s faith and background, he helped the department bridge a gap and communicate with a part of the community it was not used to interacting with.
In addition, he said Grewal and Herrera had given up their days off to travel to El Dorado County and assist with the Caldor Fire. The pair was on its way to El Dorado County when their vehicle was struck.
Officers have been at Herrera’s bedside around the clock, Little said, adding that she repeatedly asked to be a part of Friday’s procession.
“We have to explain to her, that because she can’t be here physically, we are constantly face-timing with her, talking with her, and staying with her 24 hours a day,” he said. “So she knows she is going to be back as soon as she can.”
The Galt POA and the Police Officers Research Association of California established a fundraiser this week to cover medical expenses for Herrera and her family.
According to the fundraising page, she suffered major facial injuries that will require multiple surgeries. As of Friday afternoon, $23,973 had been raised. To donate, visit tinyurl.com/GaltKHe rrera.
On Friday morning, Lodi Police Chief Sierra Brucia said Grewal spent two months with the department before he joined the Galt force. Like Farmer, Brucia said he did not get to know Grewal as well as others.
“It’s sad. My heart is breaking for his family,” Brucia said. “My heart breaks for the Galt Police Department, and for the profession. It’s always tragic when you lose an officer, especially one that is respected as much as Officer Grewal. It seems like he had a great future ahead of him.”
Herrera was also a former Lodi Police Department officer, hired in 2019 before leaving for her hometown of Galt in February of 2020.
The driver of the truck that collided with Grewal and Herrera’s vehicle was identified as 25-year-old Manteca resident Manjot Singh Thind. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two passengers in his vehicle, a 26-year-old from Dublin and a 26-year-old from Turlock, were treated for moderate injuries at area hospitals. Their condition was unknown at press time.
Farmer said Grewal’s name will be included on the Kevin Tonn Memorial at Galt City Hall.