Deputy Sheriff Earl Mendenhall was killed in an automobile crash on Santa Clara Avenue, near Highway 118, when a mentally ill prisoner he was transporting grabbed the wheel of his cruiser and caused it to veer into oncoming traffic.

Three people in the other car were seriously injured but survived. The 27-year-old prisoner was sent to a mental institution where he soon escaped. He remained at large for two years before he was captured at his parents’ home.

Deputy Mendenhall’s death led to the installation of plastic shields in police cars between the front and back seats to protect officers from criminals.

Deputy Mendenhall was a WWII veteran. He was survived by his wife and seven children.