Hundreds Of Law Enforcement Honor Fallen CHP Officer

Hundreds of law enforcement officers joined with family and friends in downtown Los Angeles today to say a final goodbye to California Highway Patrol Officer Philip Ortiz, who died 13 days after being struck during a traffic stop on the San Diego (405) Freeway.

Ortiz, 48, died at 5:50 p.m. June 22 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He had been in a coma since he was struck by a motorist June 9 on the northbound 405 near National Boulevard.

Ortiz had pulled over the driver of a Honda sport utility vehicle when an Infiniti sedan whose driver had pulled onto the shoulder to bypass slower traffic to get to an off-ramp plowed into the motorcycle, SUV and officer.

The impact mangled the BMW motorcycle and knocked the SUV onto its side. Paramedics had to free Ortiz from the wreckage.

The CHP has not concluded its investigation of the crash, but the driver of the Infiniti was identified as Brandon David Brown, 31, of Compton. He has not been arrested or charged.

Ortiz spent 28 years with the CHP and had been assigned to the West Los Angeles Area office for more than 20 years.

Ortiz’s wife, Jessica, spoke during the funeral Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, saying it was ironic that her husband survived for 13 days after the crash.

“Thirteen for me is a very lucky number,” she said. “I was born Oct. 13. We became boyfriend and girlfriend May 13 of ’79, our prom night. And we had 13 more days — I had 13 more days — to say goodbye. And during that time … it was nice to be able to take care of him for a change.”

“I know that, in comfort, as much as we love him and as much as we will miss him, please remember that he is in heaven with God,” she said.

Assistant CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said he attended the academy with Ortiz, and they were also partners after they graduated.

“I know I can’t find the words to ease your suffering,” Stanley told Ortiz’s family. “Please know that all of us from Phil’s CHP family grieves with you. We have lost a friend, a colleague and a partner who served the state of California in an exemplary manner. He was also committed to public safety and community service. He will live on in our hearts and minds and he will never be forgotten.

“… I was extremely proud to be Phil’s academy classmate, his partner, almost share a birthday with him and be his last division chief, but most important, I’m proud to have been his friend,” he said.

Ortiz was one of five CHP officers to die in the line of duty in the last two months. On May 7, CHP pilot Danny Benavides, 39, was killed in a plane crash in the Imperial Valley. On June 11, Officer Tom Coleman, 33, was killed when he slammed his motorcycle into a big rig during a pursuit in Redlands. On Sunday, Officer Justin McGrory, 28, was killed in a freeway crash in Barstow. Later that day, Officer Brett Oswald, 47, was struck and killed in Paso Robles while attending to an abandoned vehicle.

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