Officer Glenn W. Carlson

Glenn W. Carlson

Officer Glenn Carlson was shot and killed while attempting to stop suspected bank robbers near Donner Lake on Highway 80 after 9 pm.

He had stopped the men and written the driver a speeding ticket. As the car pulled away, he learned that the license plates had been stolen. He called for backup and began to chase the suspects. The suspect's vehicle suddenly stopped, and one of the men jumped out and opened fire, striking Officer Carlson five times.

All three men, convicted felons and on parole in Oregon, were apprehended and sentenced to life in prison. One of the men only served five years of his crime before returning to Oregon to serve his time for parole violation. Oregon granted him asylum and did not return him to California to serve his sentence. In the 2000s, he was arrested as a fugitive and died fighting his extradition. The shooter escaped prison in 1974 but was still paroled in the late 1970s. The third suspect was paroled in 1974.

Officer Carlson was a United States Marine Corps Korean War veteran and served with the California Highway Patrol for five years. He was survived by his wife, three children, parents, and sister.

A bypass over California State Route 267 near Old Brockway Road in Truckee is named the CHP Officer Glenn Carlson Memorial Bypass