LAPD to commemorate 'Onion Field' murder

Police officers and others will gather in Hollywood Friday afternoon to commemorate the death of Los Angeles police officer Ian Campbell, who was murdered 49 years ago today in the infamous Onion Field case.

The memorial, at the Hollywood police station, will include a tribute by a police captain and a bagpipe performance by the Emerald Society.

The “Onion Field” case has been the subject of a book and a movie, and a short film of the case will be played before the ceremony.

On March 9, 1963, Campbell and his partner were questioning two robbery suspects during a Hollywood traffic stop. The suspects successfully disarmed the officers and abducted them. Campbell and his partner were driven to a  remote onion field near Bakersfield.

Campbell was executed by one of the men, while the other officer managed to escape.

Last year, a state parole board rejected the final bid for the release of one of the "Onion Field" killers, Gregory Powell. The other killer, Jimmy Lee Smith, died in 2007.

The event will take place on 1358 North Wilcox Avenue and is open to the public.

ALSO:

Ex-LAPD detective convicted of murder faces 27 years to life

Man dies as freight train hits truck in Riverside; Metrolink delayed

Man who assaulted cheerleader in Redondo Beach sentenced to 18 years

-- Armaan Maharaj

Photo: On March 11, 1963, Jimmy Lee Smith, with back turned to camera,  returns to the crime scene to reenact the “Onion Field” killing with Sgt. G.H. Bates, left; Sgt. Danny Galindo, center; and Sgt. Pierce Brooks, right.