Los Angeles, California: LAPD Officer Thomas Denton Dies During Dive Team Training in Huntington Beach

A Los Angeles police officer died Thursday during an on-duty dive team training exercise in Huntington Beach, and investigators are still working to determine what happened.

Officer Thomas Denton was training with the dive team when the incident happened at about 11 a.m. on November 5, according to KABC. He was taken to Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, where he died. Officials said the exercise was held in Huntington Beach. Police have not released the exact location of the exercise or any details about what went wrong during it.

The Los Angeles Police Department identified Denton on Friday as Police Officer III Thomas Denton of the Metropolitan Division. In a statement, the department said: "The Los Angeles Police Department mourns the loss of Police Officer-III Thomas Denton of Metropolitan Division, who passed away yesterday during an on-duty training exercise. Officer Denton dedicated his life to serving others and embodied the values of courage, commitment, and sacrifice. We honor his memory and extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fellow officers. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers."

What officials have said, and what they have not

Huntington Beach firefighters responded to the emergency, the New York Post reported, and the paper said Denton reportedly suffered a medical emergency at about 11 a.m. Officials have not confirmed that account. No agency has said what happened in the water, whether other officers were with him at the moment it happened, or how long the response took. The department has said only that he was killed during an on-duty training exercise and that the circumstances remain under investigation.

A procession was held on Thursday as officers escorted Denton's body from the hospital to the Orange County Coroner's Office in Santa Ana. Officers, firefighters, relatives and friends lined the streets as the procession passed, according to Police1. The coroner's office will determine the cause of death.

Twenty years with the department

Denton joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 2006 and served for twenty years. He was assigned to the Metropolitan Division, which the New York Post described as a specialized tactical support and crime suppression unit, and he held the rank of Police Officer III. Public records cited by the paper showed that rank as of April 2025. The Los Angeles Police Museum posted its own condolence message naming "Police Officer Thomas Denton, Serial No. 38039."

A date for a memorial service has not been announced. The investigation into Denton's death is ongoing, and the department has said no further details are available at this time.