Miguel T. Soto
Agency patch
Officer

Miguel T. Soto

Oakland Police Department — Oakland, CA
Felonious
End of Watch June 22, 1994
Age 43
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
Badge 499
The Vigil Panel 140 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Miguel Soto was shot and killed after stopping a pedestrian near the intersection of 36th Street and Market Street. As he approached the man he was shot twice and killed. A citizen found Officer Soto's body behind his patrol car and used the patrol car's radio to call for assistance. The suspect was later arrested in San Diego. He was convicted of Officer Soto's murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Officer Soto had served with the Oakland Police Department for 22 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, three daughters, and three sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-29062A89
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

22 years. You could have gone home.
Officer Soto gave the Oakland Police Department 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Oakland community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Soto.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Oakland, Alameda County, CA
Platform Identity opd.alameda.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 22, 1994
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
Age 43
Badge Number 499
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Officer Miguel T. Soto is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Oakland Police Department, 37 of 54 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 68.5% of this agency's fallen.

Oakland Police Department
37
of 54 officers
68.5% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Miguel T. Soto's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Miguel T. Soto Compares

Age at Death
43
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
22
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Miguel T. Soto is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Miguel T. Soto was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location