Deputy Sheriff Brandan Garrett Hinkle

I remember the day Brandon ended his watch. We had trained together (commercial traffic CHP training Gilroy CA) we lived together for 2 weeks (he went home on the weekend to be with his wife and pugs). I took down his phone number but wrote it down wrong. We had some great, cheek hurting laughs during those 2 weeks. Flash to forward to Valentine's Day 2001. Who do I see doing circles in the parking lot on his motor, Brandon.
He stopped to talk to me and I explained maybe I had one to many beers but, I didn’t have his phone number. I had to go to briefing and told him after briefing I would hook-up with him and exchange numbers again. He left the station, I went to briefing and several minute later heard his motor training officer request assistance “officer down”. He gave the location “Brea Cyn Rd and Pathfinder” and everyone rolled hard to that location except for me (my partner told me “dude you’re rolling the wrong way”!)
I told him, “They are not there… they are on Brea Cyn Cutoff Rd south of Pathfinder ( I knew his training officer started out the day by stopping at a near by fire station LA County Station 119 then would drive S/B Brea Cyn C/O Rd into Diamond Bar). As I rolled, down BC Rd (from about 200 yrds I could see Brandon’s lifeless body and a blue Honda he had crashed head-on with. I asked fire to roll my friend to the hospital because I didn’t want to see the media circling, like vultures, over my partners body. We went to Brea Hospital and I protected my brother’s body until the Sheriff arrived and they rolled him to the mortuary in the hospital. I remember hearing his cellphone ringing and I knew it was his wife, calling him, because they had a dinner date (he had told me) after his shift. I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day with the wife, I live this tragic day everyday since 2007. I forgot how to cry (I’ve lost several partners to shootings, T/C’s and suicide) until I asked the Lord to show me how to cry again. Brandon, if I’m worthy, I will see you in Heaven… then I can get that phone number you said you would give to me. Ride on your steel horse cowboy.

Deputy Sheriff Tomas Navarrete
Los Angeles Co Sheriff’s Dept (ret’d)

August 14, 2025