Dan Jennings
Last Saturday, March 21, was a day of tragedy for the families of five Oakland, Calif., police officers shot in the line of duty.
Sgt. Mark Dunakin and Officer John Hege, both on motorcycles, stopped a 1995 Buick for a traffic violation at approximately 1 p.m. The driver, a 26-year old parolee, shot both officers in the face killing Sgt. Dunakin and mortally wounding Officer Hege. The suspect then fled on foot.
Citizens who witnessed the incident called 911 and began performing CPR. Additional Oakland police officers, California Highway Patrol officers and Alameda County sheriff's deputies swarmed the area.
The suspect was on parole after serving a prison sentence for assault with a deadly weapon. In addition to his extensive criminal history, the suspect had a no-bail warrant for violating the terms of his parole.
A tip led officers to a relative's home two hours later. When negotiations to coax the suspect from the residence failed, SWAT officers made entry. The suspect, who was hiding in a closet, opened fire with a high-powered rifle killing Sgt. Ervin Romans and Sgt. Daniel Sakai and wounding a third SWAT officer. SWAT officers returned fire and killed the suspect. The wounded SWAT officer survived.
Officer Hege, 41, was declared brain dead and placed on life support awaiting harvest of his organs. His father, a physician, has been by his side since the shooting.
Sgt. Dunakin, 40, a 17-year veteran of the Oakland police department, is survived by his wife, who is an Oakland police officer, and their three children.
Sgt. Romans, 43, a 13-year veteran, was a United States Marine and former Oakland housing authority police officer.
Sgt. Sakai, 35, an 8-year veteran, is survived by his wife, also a police officer.
This story did not receive much attention from the media. Television coverage was brief because the country's attention is focused on March Madness, corporate greed finger pointing, political grandstanding, and the latest antics of Octomom.
Thankfully, there is a silver lining to this tragedy in Oakland. Despite the single-day loss of so many police officers, brave men and women continue to wear the uniform and serve their communities, fully aware of the individual and collective evil in today's world.
March 12 – Wanted person
Officer Henke stops a speeding vehicle on the Truck Route at 2:20 a.m. He takes the driver into custody after a records check reveals a Metro felony warrant for grand larceny. The vehicle is towed from the scene.
March 13 – Drunk driver
Traffic Officer Nutzman stops a vehicle going 114 mph on US Highway 95. Upon approaching the driver, Officer Nutzman detects the odor of an alcoholic beverage. The driver, who is celebrating his 36th birthday, refused to perform the field sobriety tests. Officer Nutzman has one in custody en route to the jail.
March 14 – Drunk driver
Officer Ford stops a vehicle for a traffic violation on Nevada Highway at four in the morning. She detects the odor of alcohol on the 51-year old driver and after conducting an investigation, arrests him for DUI-alcohol.
March 14 – Petit larceny / Drunk driver
At 12:20 p.m., officers respond to the theft of a small statue from a local business where the suspect fled in a SUV. Officers Sandin and Gilliam stop the vehicle on Nevada Way. During the investigation, Officer Gilliam determines that the driver is impaired by alcohol. The property is returned to the store owner and Officer Gilliam arrests the driver for DUI-alcohol. Officer Sandin issues the driver a citation for petit larceny.
March 15 – Narcotics
Sgt. Byrd stops a traffic violator in a residential area at 4:25 p.m. and arrests the 53-year old driver after discovering a hypodermic device in his possession.
March 15 – Wanted person
Officer Healing has one in custody after a 35-year old local man with local warrants comes to the police station.
March 17 – Wanted person
Officers from the Graves I squad (Tomao, Ashby, and Henke) go to a residence to arrest a 46-year old local man who had fled on foot from officers earlier in the day. The suspect, who had 10 warrants for his arrest, was found hiding in a closet.
March 18 – Drunk driver
Officer Nutzman stops a speeding vehicle on Nevada Highway at 12:16 p.m. and arrests the 24-year old driver for DUI-alcohol.
Weekly Statistics
Incident Reports — 54
Traffic Stops — 210
Citations Issued — 171
Adult Arrests — 15
Juvenile Arrests — 0
Animal Control Calls 117
Boulder City Police Sgt. Dan Jennings can be reached at [email protected].
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