Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Karl Strohsal was struck and killed by another vehicle on I-4, near Saxon Boulevard in Volusia County, at about 1:30 am.
He was returning from a plainclothes operation when his unmarked vehicle had been involved in a crash and became disabled in the center lane after he swerved to avoid a plastic lawn chair that had been placed in the road. He had activated his emergency lights, exited the vehicle, and was standing in front of it when he observed an SUV approaching at a high rate of speed.
As Sergeant Strohsal attempted to run across the inside lane to the shoulder, the driver changed lanes at the last moment to avoid striking the patrol car but struck him.
The driver who struck was charged with driving on a suspended license and DUI.
The three adults who placed the chair in the roadway and who had been throwing rocks at other cars were convicted of manslaughter. Two of them were sentenced to four years in prison and the third was sentenced to nine years.
Sergeant Strohsal had served with the Longwood Police Department for 18 years and had previously served with the New York City Police Department for 14 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, son, daughter, and grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-D1087302- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
32 years. You could have gone home.
Sergeant Strohsal gave the Longwood Police Department 32 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Longwood community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Strohsal.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Karl Strohsal is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Karl Strohsal's cause is highlighted.
How Karl Strohsal Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 9 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Karl Strohsal is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Karl Strohsal was killed by automobile.