CHP officer killed in Redlands identified as 7-year veteran, father of two [Updated]

The California Highway Patrol officer who was killed Friday morning during a pursuit in Redlands was identified as Tom Coleman, an officer in the San Bernardino division of the agency, officials said.

Coleman, a seven-year veteran of the department, was killed about 6:30 a.m. during a pursuit that began minutes earlier when he tried to pull over a Ford Focus on Mountain View Drive near the 210 Freeway and the driver wouldn't stop, said Mario Lopez, a spokesman for the Inland division of the CHP.

Within a few minutes, Coleman crashed into a big rig and the suspect continued on, crashing moments later with another car near the Citrus Plaza shopping center. The four people inside the Ford Focus were arrested.

On Friday morning, a blue and silver CHP helmet lay on the side of the intersection of San Bernardino Avenue and Alabama Street, where Coleman was killed. Part of a mangled motorcycle lay nearby. Coleman's body was draped in an American flag, which was shrouded by a red tarp.

“It was a very short pursuit," Lopez said. "It happened no more than one or two minutes later."

CHP Officer Daniel Hesser said Coleman was traveling using lights and sirens. Coleman, a married father of two, was declared dead at the scene.

[Updated at 1:23 p.m.: Jose Acosta, of Fontana, who was driving a delivery truck and witnessed the accident, said he grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the flames that consumed the burning motorcycle. He said Coleman was thrown to the pavement and lay there unconscious. A man ran from a nearby school and attempted to administer CPR to Coleman. He said the man began crying when he realized Coleman could not be revived. Then the fire trucks and ambulances arrived.]

The fatality was the second serious accident this week involving a CHP motorcycle officer. On Wednesday, a driver who veered onto the shoulder of the 405 Freeway in West L.A. hit an officer who is still hospitalized in critical condition.

“It’s heartbreaking," Lopez said Friday. "A few days ago, we had another officer go down in the L.A. area."

-- Ching-Ching Ni in Redlands and Richard Winton

Top photo: CHP officers investigate the accident scene, where fellow officer Tom Coleman died during a high-speed pursuit Friday morning. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Middle photo: A helmet lays among debris at the scene of the crash. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Bottom photo: CHP officer Tom Coleman. Credit: CHP

Comments

[chris dyer]

Why is the CHP (and all law enforcement for that matter) still using motorcycles?! How often, in SoCal alone, does a motorcycle officer drop a bike, get in a crash, or this--the worst case scenario? Thanks to radios, helicopters and other technology, there is no need for our peace officers to be put at risk on motorcycles.

[E.T]

My prayers go out to his family. Stay strong and God bless you.

[Otis]

Damn poor kids and wife he left behind. I wonder how long had he been a motorcycle cop? They have to have great riding skills not just good, but great! Being a rider myself it's kind of hard to imagine what would cause him to run into the back of a semi-truck? Those BMW bikes handle like a gem, ABS brakes and all. Damn shame...RIP

[Lou]

This is very sad for the family and this brave officer who lost his life.

Not to be disrespectful, but the CHP and law enforcement agency officials must be made aware that to allow motorcycle officers to pursue fleeing subjects on their two wheeled "donor-cycles" is just plain foolhardy. The officers should be instructed to call in four-wheeled automobiles as backup and even helicopters to pursue and keep the fleeing subjects pinpointed until a police car can stop them.

As a former motorcycle rider in urban areas, I well know that to exceed the speed limit on any bike, for any reason, and particularly in a pursuit when the excitement of the chase affects good judgment, is just asking for trouble.

Again sincere sympathies to the family of this officer.

And shame on their law enforcement agency heads.

[Noneof Yourbusiness]

I'm a former police officer, so this is not "hate" against law enforcement. But this is insane. The two details left out here are that 1) the reason he was chasing the car was for a vehicle code infraction, and 2) the chase reached speeds of over 100mph, on surface streets. How does this even remotely begin to show any common sense? This officer died because he did something insanely dangerous, to himself and the public, over a broken taillight or some such BS? Was it worth it? High speed pursuits, especially over minor traffic violations, need to be outlawed. They kill more officers and innocent bystanders than any other hazard of the job, and very seldom result in anything more than charges on traffic violations, almost always violations that result from the chase itself, meaning the chase itself actually is the cause of virtually all the crimes involved, not the solution to them. It needs to stop. We're not supposed to live in a police state, and the law enforcement agencies need to be held legally responsible for putting their officers and the public at such idiotic risk by having policies that allow this to continue.

[Wayne Woolsey]

I don't know if the person writing this article re: the CHP Officer killed,
is color blind, or just doesn't know his/her color shades, but the CHP helmets
are GOLD and blue, not silver and blue.
Typical press.
WW

[JANET]

you know, the story itself is bad enough. we can get a pretty good mental image. but i think it is highly offensive and disturbing to publish accident scene pictures.

[Mike]

God be with him and his family

[Los Angeles Native]

Besides the little girl that was killed, now this. Two pursuits and two dead. Whatever the infractions the fleeing drivers had committed, I'm pretty sure we would all agree that those two situations might have played out better if the officers had just let them get away. High speed police pursuits endanger more people than they protect.

[HANK]

death penalty for those idiots that cause these deaths. Just like the idiot that killed the 6 year old girl.

[chris]

something doesn't seem right here. Why were all 4 people in the car arrested? There was only 1 driver. I could understand if there was drugs or open alcohol or something, but no one seems to say why these people were arrested. Should the driver have been arrested? Absolutely. But the other 3? What should they have done, tuck and roll?

[Reality Chick]

Tragic, yes...but where is the front page feature on the 6-year old girl who was killed last night in a police initiated chase through Lakeview Terrace? This guy died on the job. The little girl was an innocent bystander. When is the LAPD going to stop this nonsense of high speed pursuits?

[Astonished]

First of all, the article doesn't say what the violation was. The driver could have been doing any of a number of things to have brought him to the attention of the officer, and excuse me if I'm wrong here, but taking off and attaining speeds upwards of 100mph would make me think there was something major going on here. Also, you don't know if this officer was a lead officer or just part of the pursuit. As for arresting all four persons in the car. If they exited the vehicle and were chased down, it would be difficult to pick out just who was driving without detaining all of them. Plus, who's to say what condition (DUI, Under the influence, etc., etc., etc.) everyone in that vehicle was in. Maybe we had a bunch with warrants out on them. What I want to know is why the driver of that big rig wasn't paying better attention to the lights and sirens that must have been blaring. It isn't like downtown you know, that area is generally very quiet.

[crazy]

Call me crazy but….. don’t you think a CHP/ bike cop should be smart than this?
I mean come on! Who the heck is going to give chase to a Ford Fusion (mid-size sedan) on a bike (crotch rocket) in the middle of one of the busiest freeways (210) during rush hour? Uhhh….. this sounds like an accident waiting to happen RIGHT?!?!
It’s sad because he had 2 kids but come on! He should have radioed the cars (ford fusion) description to all CHP officers in an actual patrol car so that they can safely give chase.
Bike cop chasing speeding car at high speed during traffic hour on freeway = accident! OBVIOUSLY!
CALL ME CRAZY! But having a car chase them rather then a bike cop seems a little more logical……………
Regarding the cop CHP on the 405 earlier this week; why didnt he pull the car over at the first available freeway exit rather then attempting to give a ticket during rush hour with vehicles driving in excess of 60mph literally 2 feet from you?
What are they teaching these CHP officers at their accademies? Who is teaching the accademies?
it's sad but true, they need to reflect on and revise some procedures. BOTH OF THESE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. VERY SAD.

[Bee]

Janet wrote: "you know, the story itself is bad enough. we can get a pretty good mental image. but i think it is highly offensive and disturbing to publish accident scene pictures."
--------------------------------------
Come on Janet, this is the image of the accident without showing the human body. I believe the picture is better than a story to educate or remind us about what is the consequence of our action. This is the same goes for the image of war, they show very few of them in our press and for many people here, they think war is sterile, clean, exciting just like video games without thinking of sacrifice and the cost of human suffering, etc.

[richard]

in california , it is all about money...the highway patrol are trying to write as many tickets as they can. they would chase people for no front licence plate,just to write a ticket.they get paid to risk their life but not to risk lives of others just to fill their book.

[Don]

I was just Curious as to why a Dead Motorcycle Cop would be Draped in an American Flag when the CHP usually just throws an Old Worn and Used Blanket on any other person Killed. Do the CHP actually think that they are better than
Civilians? Ifc you are stopped for Speeding, the CHP will give you a Five Minute Lecture about how unsafe it is to Drive a Vehicle at a High Rate of Speed. Maybe someone should have told this California Highway Patrolman the same thing. He
MAY still be alive today if he would have had better Driving Skills. People Die each and Everyday on the Highway, so lets put this behind us and move on with our Lives. I am sorry for his Family.

[David M.]

I, too agree with those critical of the police officers actions. High speed pursuits should be only be allowed for felony or DUI stops. Minor infractions or even misdemeaners are idiotic reason to put the drivers, officers and innocent by-standards at risk. Once you have their license plate number the game is over, so why take the chances? Also, I agree with the other person who complained that all 4 occupants were arrested. Unless the other 3 had done something wrong while in the vehicle, the driver is the one who should be arrested, not the others. Just another example of law enforcement dropping the ball again.

[erics]

Who were the 4 people in the car, and why did they run over a traffic infraction?

[Anonymous]

@chris dyer:

They still use motorcycles because they're more agile and needed to pursue potential suspects who may be on motorcycles themselves. A bike can split lanes in traffic where a police car would be stuck. Have you ever seen police chases with cops pursuing someone on a motorcycle? It is much harder to keep up in a car.

[TXMAN]

I agree completely with noneofyourbusiness. For a minor infraction/traffic they should just right the license plate down and suspend their license for a year and hit them with a huge fine and a couple of days in jail but not pursue.. That should them a lesson.

[Astonished]

Boy, everyone on this post sure knows a lot more about this pursuit that the police or the news media! You know why he was chasing, and that it wasn't a major violation (tail light out) and all kinds of things that allows for such fair minded opinionating! So I'll tell you what. Since most of you think the officer was an idiot for doing his job and attempting a traffic stop, for who knows what type of violation, let's compromise: Stop the ignorant savages from running and my guess is the police will stop chasing. Fair enough?

[Jay Miller]

What is up with these comment?? All I know is a hero gave his life today. Just like a firefighter running into a burning building, cops Chase badguys! Why are they using m/c's.....please, are you for real? Why chase people who run? What planet do you live on?? If you don't chase them then everyone will run! Talk about making this already lawless state worse! By the way, this was a stolen vehicle, a felony, plus when the evade, another felony. Now that one of our heroes died, another felony. Wake up people...start supporting the ones who go out there everyday to protect you. Officer Coleman, thank you for giving the ultimate sacrifice. My heart, my prayes are with you and your family. The CHP has taken my loses this past couple of months. God bless them all.

[nobleone]

The reason that this cop pursued this vehicle at speeds of 100 mph is that there are NO guidelines, or rather no SERIOUS, guidelines. No matter what is on the books, there is no REAL enforcement that might curtail these stupid situations. The jerks in the fleeing vehicle took off because they have much more to hide by stopping -- warrants, drugs, guns, whatever -- so they are going to floor it, if they encounter the cops. For this cop to chase the guy that fast, his adrenaline was probably racing and the thrill of the chase ended the only way it was going to end -- in death. Doesn't anyone in law enforcement watch the show 'Cops'?

[antarez7]

This why Law Enforcement should be able to shoot at fleeing criminals.The tards in the Ford Focus are going to be charged with this poor officer's death now instead of just paying for a traffic citation.