Fallen Oakland SWAT Officer Daniel Sakai Remembered
March 23, 2009
OAKLAND—Danny Sakai was no ordinary cop. University educated and a world traveler, Sakai, the 35-year-old, nine-year veteran of the OPD, was killed in the line of duty March 21 when a suspected cop killer opened fire on a SWAT entry team with an AK-47 military assault rifle. Three of Sakai’s fellow OPD officers also were killed Saturday by the same suspect, Lovelle Mixon, 26.
An Eagle Scout, Dan Sakai held a degree in forestry from UC Berkeley and had lived in Japan for a year teaching English. The Japanese American resident of Castro Valley was married to Julie Sakai, a UC Berkeley police officer, and was the father of a young daughter.
- Friends and colleagues remember Daniel Sakai, SFGate
- Police Deaths Amplify City’s Woes, WSJ
- Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 1974-2009, Officer Down Memorial Page
