Ex-Napster exec fatally struck by sheriff’s patrol car while biking
A cyclist fatally struck by a sheriff’s patrol car Sunday was the former chief operating officer of Napster and a music industry veteran.
Milton Everett Olin Jr., 65, of Woodland Hills, was struck and killed by a sheriff’s patrol car just after 1 p.m. Sunday in the 22000 block of Mulholland Highway in Calabasas. He was identified by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office on Monday.
The impact smashed the patrol car’s windshield, leaving the deputy with cuts on his arm and glass in his eyes.
Authorities did not say whether the deputy was on routine patrol or responding to an emergency call.
Olin was pronounced dead at the scene, while the deputy was taken to a nearby hospital for minor injuries, authorities said.
In addition to serving as a top executive for the file-sharing website Napster Inc., Olin was a prominent entertainment attorney for Altschul & Olin LLP, which he co-founded, and had been practicing law since 1975, according to court documents and the State Bar of California.
In a July 2000 declaration Olin submitted to a U.S. District Court in support of Napster following a lawsuit by A&M Records Inc., Olin said he had graduated from UCLA Law School in 1975.
Shortly after, he started as an associate for a law firm in Los Angeles, representing the music industry.
Prior to Napster, he worked for A&M Records as vice president of business development and was responsible for signing artists and acquiring music rights. He took on other positions while working at the record company.
In 1999, he took on the role of senior vice president for business development for Firstlook.com, an Internet start-up company that offered previews of movies, music and games.
The next year, he joined Napster.
Sunday’s fatal accident remains under investigation, authorities said.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Malibu/Lost Hills Station at (818) 878-1808. Anonymous tipsters can call Crime Stoppers by dialing (800) 222-8477.
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