Officer Robert E. "Bob" Reed

Robert E. "Bob" Reed

Officer Bob Reed was shot and killed by a prisoner he had just arrested for speeding and attempting to allude arrest on U.S. Highway 101 near Ventura. The suspect crashed into a barricade and ran from the scene. Officer Reed captured him after a short chase.

The 36-year-old suspect complained of a injured ankle so Officer Reed transported him to the hospital instead of the jail. He was ordered to the psychiatric ward when he grabbed a bottle of cleaning fluid and tried to drink it as he was being examined. As he was transferred a gurney he grabbed Officer Reed's gun out of its holster and shot him.

The suspect was found to be insane and committed to a mental hospital. On July 28, 1960, he died at the state mental hospital in San Luis Obispo.