Placentia Police Department, California
End of Watch: Wednesday, August 7, 1996
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: 38
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: October 30, 1989
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Not available
Investigator Joey Little succumbed to injuries sustained in a traffic collison on October 30, 1989.
Investigator Little had been assigned to assist another officer who had been wounded while on duty two months earlier. He was driving the wounded officer to the station in his private vehicle during the work detail, and as he entered an intersection, another vehicle ran a red light and collided with his vehicle at approximately 55 mph.
The other driver and the second officer both walked away from the accident with minor injuries. Investigator Little was in a deep coma for two months with various broken bones and crushed ribs. He spent the next seven years in various hospitals and rehab facilities, but was considered slow to recover.
Investigator Little had served with the agency for 12 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.