Badge: 5430
Residence: Dateland
End of Watch: May, 6, 2013
Officer Huffman was on scene helping investigate an injury collision on Interstate 8, 40 miles east of Yuma, when a tanker truck failed to yield to the closure of the number-two lane on the highway. The driver of the semi-truck, Jorge Espinoza, 33, first collided with a parked patrol car, which then crashed into Huffman’s patrol car. Huffman was seated inside his patrol car writing a report and was killed by the force of the impact. He was 47 years old.
Badge: 5669
End of Watch: October 13, 2008
DPS Officer/Paramedic Bruce W. Harrolle was killed while assisting with a search and rescue mission of two stranded hikers. Officer Harrolle was struck by the helicopter's rotor blades and fatally injured. Officer Bruce Harrolle, 36 years, is survived by his wife, two young children, and parents.
Badge: 3111
Residence: Tucson
End of Watch: December 9, 1998
Officer Cruz, along with two other DPS officers were blocking the high speed traffic lane of Interstate 10 in Tucson with their patrol vehicles while investigating a prior collision. A westbound vehicle driven by Tucson resident Marissa Rodriguez, 21 struck the rear of Officer Cruz’s vehicle, which was positioned at the far-east end of the collision scene. Officer Cruz was sitting in his vehicle at the time of the collision and received fatal injuries as a result of the crash. Rodriguez was sentenced to 11 years for manslaughter. There was no trial in this case, the family agreed to a plea bargain of 11 years. Rodriguez was released on parole to her parents on 6/22/2009 and completed her parole on 1/21/2011.
Badge: 3818
Residence: Scottsdale
End of Watch: January 2, 1998
While standing and waiting for a tow truck to remove an abandoned vehicle at the gore point of Scottsdale Road and westbound Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway), Motorcycle Officer Knutson suffered multiple injuries when struck from behind by a small pickup truck driven by Brett Baxter, 22, of Tempe. He was taken to Maricopa County Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Officer Knutson was the first DPS motorcycle officer to be killed in the line of duty. Baxter was not charged.
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