Officer Vincent L. Leusch died on Monday, September 22, 1975, when he was involved in a traffic accident. He was a member of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southwest Division.

On August 16, 1975, Madera County Deputy Sheriff Steve Lindblom, a 26 year-old, with just three years experience as a peace officer, responded to back up Madera Police Department officers who had answered an “armed man holding hostages” call within the City of Madera.

Upon his arrival at the scene, Lindblom was directed to cover the rear of the house, where the armed suspect was holding his wife and three children hostage, threatening to shoot any officer who approached.

Shortly after Lindblom’s arrival on the scene, officers covering the front of the house heard a gun shot coming from the rear of the house. responding officers found Deputy Lindblom lying in the back yard with a single, fatal gunshot to the head.

During the course of the stand-off the suspect wounded two additional Reserve Deputies, neither fatally.

After all attempts to talk the suspect out had failed, officers fired tear gas projectiles into the house. The suspect released the woman and three children that he had held hostage. Officers entering the residence found the suspect deceased, surrounded by a large cache of weapons.

Steve Lindblom was survived by his wife Judy and 4-year old son Jeff. Tragically, young Jeff Lindblom lost his battle with cancer just four years after the death of his heroic father.

Gary A. Nelson, was a thirty-five year old Anaheim Police Officer and helicopter pilot. He was piloting the department’s helicopter and conducting an Air-Borne narcotics surveillance on August 15, 1975, when his helicopter crashed. He was killed and his observer was injured.

Jerry S. Hatch, a twenty-three year old Fullerton Police Officer died on June 30, 1975. Officer Hatch had been helping to extinguish a vehicle fire at Beach Boulevard and the 91 Freeway. He was replacing equipment into the trunk of his car when he was struck by another vehicle. The driver was later determined to have been intoxicated.

Officers Frederick W. Enright and Adolfo M. Hernandez were patrolling in the CHP helicopter at 2:45 p.m. when it crashed and burned in the Fremont area east of Highway 17. Enright, the 31-year-old pilot, and Hernandez. the 35-year-old observer were both killed instantly. Witnesses said the helicopter went into a steep dive, and when approximately 50 to 75 feet off the ground, flipped over and then crashed. Investigation into the cause of the accident determined there was a mechanical failure in the controls that affected the pilot’s ability to control the horizontal attitude of the aircraft. Officer Enright was a member of the Patrol for four years and Officer Hernandez was a member for five years.

Officers Frederick W. Enright and Adolfo M. Hernandez were patrolling in the CHP helicopter at 2:45 p.m. when it crashed and burned in the Fremont area east of Highway 17. Enright, the 31-year-old pilot, and Hernandez. the 35-year-old observer were both killed instantly. Witnesses said the helicopter went into a steep dive, and when approximately 50 to 75 feet off the ground, flipped over and then crashed. Investigation into the cause of the accident determined there was a mechanical failure in the controls that affected the pilot’s ability to control the horizontal attitude of the aircraft. Officer Enright was a member of the Patrol for four years and Officer Hernandez was a member for five years.