Remembering the Fallen

 More than 15 years after Deputy Hagop  “Jake”  Kuredjian was killed, a community continues to pay tribute

More than 15 years after a tragic shooting killed a beloved deputy, the Santa Clarita Valley fondly remembers Deputy Hagop “Jake” Kuredjian, who was killed in the line of duty after he responded to a call at a Stevenson Ranch home.
The call involved a deputy who was requesting back up, as federal agents were serving a warrant to a suspect accused of impersonating a police officer and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
When deputies and agents arrived at the Stevenson Ranch home on August 31, 2001, to serve the warrant, the suspect refused to leave his home.
When the law enforcement officials sought entry, the suspect opened fire and fatally shot Deputy Kuredjian in the head.
The suspect entered into a shootout with deputies and agents on the scene, but he was killed later that day in a fire that was started when federal agents used tear gas to enter the home, according to news reports at the time of the incident.
Kuredjian was known as a kind hearted, “happy-go-lucky” man who brought a smile to the face of anyone he came in contact with, according to Shirley Miller, SCV Sheriff’s Station Spokewoman.
An engraved monument memorializes Kuredjian’s sacrifice at the Stevenson Ranch park that bears his name, which was unveiled on November 1, 2001.
Kuredjian was 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and had been assigned to the Sheriff’s Station since 1995, according to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials.
Friends who knew him also shared that Kuredjian was an avid motorcyclist, and after serving in many other capacities at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, he was assigned as a motor officer here, six months prior to his untimely death at age 40 years old, according to Miller.
In 1989, Deputy Kuredjian was awarded the Sheriff’s Department’s Gold Meritorious Conduct Medal by former Sheriff Sherman Block for saving the life of a woman clinging to a small tree branch atop a cliff in the City of Malibu.
Kuredjian is survived by his mother, two brothers and his girlfriend.

About the Officer Down Memorial Page
The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc., (ODMP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring America’s fallen law enforcement heroes. More than 20,000 officers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the United States and it is with great honor that the ODMP pays a lasting tribute to each of these officers by preserving their memories within its pages.
For more information or to donate, please visit www.odmp.org. 

Comments