Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety, California
End of Watch: Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Age: 53
Tour of Duty: 30 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: August 10, 2004
Weapon Used: Rifle; AK-47
Suspect Info: Died in prison
Captain Michael Sparkes was shot and killed when he identified himself and attempted to take action against two suspects as they attempted to rob him while he was off duty.
Captain Sparkes was taking an early morning bike ride when he was confronted by the two gang members, near Redondo Beach Boulevard and Avalon Boulevard in Rosewood, at approximately 5:35 am. One of the suspects was armed with an AK-47 rifle. Shots were exchanged between Captain Sparkes and the suspects. Despite being mortally wounded, Captain Sparkes was able to give responding officers a description of the two suspects.
Captain Sparkes was transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where he succumbed to his wounds. Coincidentally, Captain Sparkes was assigned to the hospital and was in charge of police and security operations on the hospital campus.
One of the suspects was arrested a short time later after being stopped for a traffic violation by a Los Angeles police officer. The second suspect, who was wounded in the exchange of gunfire, was taken into custody after seeking treatment at a hospital.
The subject who shot Captain Sparkes was sentenced to death. He died in prison on April 22nd, 2019, while awaiting the sentence to be carried out.
Captain Sparkes had served with the Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety for 30 years. He is survived by his wife, young son, and adult stepdaughter.