California Highway Patrol, California
End of Watch: Friday, May 7, 2010
Age: 39
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Badge Number: 15193
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident
Date of Incident: May 7, 2010
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Officer Daniel Benavides was killed when the department airplane he was piloting crashed.
He was flying a Cessna 206 on observation patrol for a speed detail near Highway 78 when it went down about 9:30 am. The crash occurred in the desert near Highway 78 west of Split Mountain Road in Imperial County.
Officer Benavides had served with the California Highway Patrol for 13 years and was assigned to the Border Division Thermal Air Operations Unit. Officer Benavides is survived by his wife and daughter.