Deputy Sheriff Frederick G. "Harry" Cleveland

Frederick G. "Harry" Cleveland

Deputy Sheriff Harry Cleveland succumbed to injuries sustained on September 22nd, 1918, while transporting two robbery suspects to Los Angeles.

He and his partner had responded to the El Monte area to search for a vehicle involved in several robberies in Los Angeles County and Riverside County earlier in the evening. They had received reports that the car was driving toward El Monte. They observed the vehicle on Valley Boulevard near the El Monte Bridge and attempted to stop it. The vehicle turned onto a side road and initially attempted to flee, but then came to a stop.

The occupants of the vehicle, a father and two adult sons, had committed the robberies and were also responsible for numerous automobile thefts. While the deputies disarmed the two sons the father was able to conceal his pistol in the front seat of his car. After searching the father, it was determined that Deputy Cleveland would ride in the back seat of the suspects' vehicle with the two sons in the front. The deputy followed in the patrol car with the father as a passenger. After driving a short distance, the son in the front passenger seat grabbed the hidden gun and shot at Deputy Cleveland, slightly wounding him. A violent struggle over the gun ensued in which Deputy Cleveland shot the subject in the leg four times.

As the two struggled the other brother picked up a heavy piece of metal and hit Deputy Cleveland in the head with it several times.

When the cars came to a stop the other deputy immediately exited his car with a shotgun and shot the wounded brother in the face, wounding him. The father then came to the car, grabbed Deputy Cleveland's pistol, and ordered the deputy to drop his shotgun. Instead of dropping his gun, the deputy fired from the hip and killed the father. The second son then surrendered.

Both sons were convicted of numerous robberies and sentenced to one year to life in prison. They were both released from prison on May 11th, 1922 and completed parole in 1923. They were never charged with Deputy Cleveland's murder.

Deputy Cleveland never recovered from the head injuries and died as a result on March 7th, 1920.

Deputy Cleveland had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for three years.