Officer Douglas Scott Russell

Douglas Scott Russell

Officer Douglas Russell was struck and killed while deploying stop sticks to stop a vehicle involved in a pursuit.

The pursuit began after Rancho Cordova police were dispatched at 12:23 pm on a welfare check on a person in a brown, four-door sedan parked on Horn Road in Rancho Cordova. As officers approached, the driver sped off, tossing items out of his vehicle. A police pursuit ensued, going onto eastbound Highway 50.

Officer Russell was deploying the spike strip when the car swerved and hit him. He was airlifted to the University of California Davis Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.

After striking the officer, the vehicle continued until officers were able to spin the car and stop it on Missouri Flat Road. The driver was taken into custody and transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center. The suspect was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to death.

The 22-year veteran of the California Highway Patrol worked out of the Placerville office. He is survived by his wife and mother.