Deputy Marshal Richard C. White

Richard C. White

Deputy Marshal Richard White was killed when his patrol car was struck head-on by a suspect's vehicle at 10:00 p.m. during a pursuit that had started in Utah.

The suspect and his passenger had been pursued by deputies in Utah for 175 miles and entered Arizona. Marshal White and two Mohave County deputies had set up a roadblock in Colorado City, but the suspect was able to avoid it.

Marshal White joined in the pursuit. When the suspect observed a second roadblock set by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, he turned the car around and headed back toward Utah on Arizona Highway 389. Shortly after turning around, the suspect's vehicle, traveling without its lights on, struck Marshal White's vehicle head-on at a speed of over 90 mph.

The driver and passenger, who was on probation from a grand larceny conviction, in the fleeing car were also killed in the crash.

Marshal White had served in law enforcement for nine years, serving with the Colorado City Police Department and previously served as an auxiliary deputy for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. He was survived by his wife and thirteen children.