Deputy Thomas H. Pohlman was a 27-year-old Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy who died on April 18, 1978, while on duty in East Los Angeles. He and fellow officers detected the smell of ether, suspected a clandestine lab, and called for backup. A suspect fled on foot; Deputy Pohlman chased and caught him in a backyard. During the struggle to handcuff the suspect, the individual seized Deputy Pohlman’s service revolver and shot him between the eyes, killing him.

The suspect was a 19-year-old male who was apprehended quickly. At trial the District Attorney sought the death penalty; the jury convicted him of second-degree murder after four-and-a-half days of deliberation. On December 6, 1978, he was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in prison. Deputy Pohlman had served four years with the department and was survived by his expectant wife and a 5-year-old son. His name is on the California Peace Officers’ Memorial.

Does anyone have additional details about the investigation or Deputy Pohlman’s service that could add to this record?