On December 27, 1993, Manhattan Beach Police Officer Martin Lane Ganz, who had served for five years with the department, was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop.
Officer Ganz had observed a motorist commit a traffic violation and pulled the vehicle over in the Manhattan Village Mall. As he was outside of the patrol car, the driver exited and started firing at him. Officer Ganz tried to take cover behind his vehicle but was shot numerous times. Officer Ganz's 12-year-old nephew was on a ride along with him and the suspect attempted to shoot at him, but his gun misfired and the boy was not harmed.
The suspect was arrested approximately eight months later in connection with another murder in Oregon.
Officer Ganz was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Manhattan Beach Police Department for five years. Officer Ganz knew at a young age that he wanted to become a police officer. He will always be remembered for his skills working in the DUI enforcement program, and his love of working with children in the community.
On the 12th Anniversary of Officer Ganz's murder, a section of the I-405, between Hawthorne Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue, was renamed the Martin L. Ganz Memorial Highway.
We will always remember Officer Martin Ganz.
