A SoCal cop who escaped with his life in a freeway accident one year ago wasn't so lucky early Sunday morning when his police cruiser crashed with another patrol car.

Ryan Stringer, 26, died in the 2:30 a.m. accident at Garfield Avenue and Main Street in Alhambra. News reports speculated that one of the drivers, with both apparently racing to a nearby robbery call, ran a red light at the intersection and t-boned the other.

The other driver, ID'd by City News Service late last night as Juan Carlos Mejia, 27, was “listed in stable condition,” Alhambra PD Lt. Edith Lopez said in a statement sent to media earlier Sunday.

ABC7 reported that Stringer “was in a motorcycle accident on the 605 Freeway while he was on his way to work” about a year ago and had to make a “miraculous recovery” to return to duty.

He had been on the job for 2 years, according to the station.

Stringer and the other driver involved in the crash were responding to “a possible robbery in the rear parking lot of 100 North First Street,” according to Lopez, when the collision happened only steps away.

The California Highway Patrol was taking over the investigation.

Funeral arrangements were pending.

[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com]

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