California Highway Patrol, California
End of Watch: Friday, April 23, 1971
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 9 years
Badge Number: 3186
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 23, 1971
Weapon Used: Handgun; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Committed suicide
Officer Loren Scruggs was shot and killed from ambush while conducting a traffic stop.
He had stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on Betteravia Road, one mile east of Highway 101, near Santa Maria. As he talked to the driver, another man parked across the street and approached him. The man asked Officer Scruggs for directions and then suddenly pulled out a .22 caliber handgun and shot him.
The suspect fled the scene but was later found after committing suicide.
Officer Scruggs was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the California Highway Patrol for nine years. He was survived by his wife and four children.