Pasadena Officer Wounded in March Shootout Recognized at Dodgers’ First Responders Night

A Pasadena police officer who was injured in the line of duty in March was recognized on the field at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ First Responders Night this week, the Pasadena Police Department said.

Officer Bryan Vasquez, a five-year veteran of the department, took part in the on-field recognition, the department said in a post on its official Facebook page. 

The game — the Dodgers’ Monday matchup against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium — was the team’s First Responders Night, honoring firefighters, police officers and nurses from across the region.

Vasquez was wounded on March 2, when officers responded at about 7:30 p.m. to a report of a shooting near the Sierra Madre Villa Metro station, close to North Halstead Street and Electronic Drive in East Pasadena. 

During a foot pursuit, officers and the suspect exchanged gunfire; Vasquez was struck in the leg, and the suspect — identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner as 32-year-old Malcolm Buchanan — was killed at the scene. 

Vasquez underwent surgery at Huntington Hospital and was later listed in stable but guarded condition, the city said at the time.

The department said Vasquez was joined at the ballpark by fellow Pasadena Police Department personnel, members of the Pasadena Police Officers Association, community leaders, friends and supporters. It thanked Councilmember Steve Madison, former City Manager Miguel Márquez, PPOA board members and the department’s professional staff for taking part.

As of the department’s earlier statements, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office was reviewing the officers’ use of deadly force in the March shooting, which police said remained under investigation.