Los Angeles Police Department, California
End of Watch: Monday, October 25, 1971
Age: 26
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: 14745
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 25, 1971
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 15 years to life
Policeman Phillip Riley was shot and killed by a man who grabbed his service revolver following a high-speed chase in Venice.
When Officer Riley and his partner initiated a traffic stop, the vehicle sped away. After a short pursuit, the vehicle stopped, and two men ran in different directions. Officer Riley was shot twice in the chest after cornering the suspect on the rocks of the Marina del Rey breakwater. The suspect was arrested after a second high-speed pursuit and a shootout in which he was wounded.
The suspect was an inmate out on a 72-hour pass to look for a job at the Institution of Men at Chino. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to 15 years to life on May 3, 1973. Despite being paroled in 1981, he was back in prison for robbery and died of a drug overdose in 1988.
Officer Riley had served with the Los Angeles Police Department for three years. He was survived by his wife, parents, and brother.