Fallen Officers: Wendell Troyer, David Guider & Jimmie Rutledge

Officer Wendell Troyer

   Buried almost right next to each other on a hillside are Oakland Police Officers David Guider and Wendell Troyer.      

   Officers Wendell Troyer and David Guider were assigned to ARGUS, the Oakland Police helicopter, on the evening of October 2, 1973. Troyer, 47, was a 22-year veteran of the department and the pilot that evening. Guider, 26, had 4 years with Oakland Police Department He was assigned the observer position in ARGUS.   

Officer David Guider

   At 9:35 p.m. as they were patrolling over East Oakland, they received a dispatch directing them to assist downtown units in a robbery. As they flew west, the helicopter suddenly lost power and plummeted to the ground. The helicopter crashed in a large explosion and fire. Both officers were trapped in the flaming ARGUS and were unable to escape.

     The initial investigation revealed a possibility that the officers were victims of a sniper. Troyer had a gunshot wound to the head. Witnesses claimed that they heard gunshots prior to the crash of the helicopter.

     It was later released that the helicopter suffered a mechanical failure that resulted in the loss of power and subsequent crash.

     Troyer was married with two children. Guider was survived by his wife.

[From the CALIFORNIA PEACE OFFICERS' MEMORIAL]

Sgt. Jimmie Rutledge

PLOT 27

     Sergeant Jimmie Rutledge was born in Oakland, California. He attended local schools and graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1942. He later attended both the City College of San Francisco and the University of California at Berkeley. Sergeant Rutledge enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942 and was honorably discharged in 1948 at the rank of Radioman 1st Class. He was later recalled to active duty during the Korean War and served overseas from 1951 to 1952. Sergeant Rutledge was appointed to the department as a Patrolman-Clerk assigned badge #94. On December 1, 1972 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and assigned Badge #S-15.

         During his tenure with the Berkeley Police Department, Sergeant Rutledge held positions in Patrol Division, Service Division, the Patrol Special Detail and Juvenile Bureau. In addition he was also a department Range Master. Sergeant Rutledge was involved in several youth programs, including Sea Scouts. After his death the local Boy Scout Council named a Sea Scout Vessel the "Jimmie Rutledge" in his honor.

        At 5:23 a.m., Officers were dispatched to the 2200 block of Russell Street on a report of a prowler. Initially officers were unable to locate the prowler and Sergeant Rutledge remained in the area to watch for the suspect. Sergeant Rutledge subsequently contacted an individual and attempted an arrest on his own. The subject, later found to be an ex-felon, resisted handcuffing and a struggle ensued. During the fight, the suspect gained control of Sergeant Rutledge's gun and shot the officer, fatally wounding him. The suspect also wounded a neighbor who had come to render assistance to Sergeant Rutledge. Following the shooting, the suspect forced his way into an acquaintance's home and took several hostages. At the conclusion of the standoff, the suspect killed one of the hostages, a 4-year old girl. The suspect then chased the remaining hostages from the house with gun in hand and was killed by police. 

[From the Berkeley Police Department]

Click HERE to read about Office John Hege, who is also buried at Mountain View Cemetery.