Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Leo Darst was killed in an automobile accident on Main Street, near Farquhar Park, while driving to a report of a traffic accident in rainy weather. As the Officer Darst's partner applied the brakes the vehicle swerved across the street due to the wet roadway and struck an oncoming vehicle. Officer Darst was knocked unconscious and succumbed to his injuries a short time later. Officer Darst had served with the Huntington Beach Police Department for less then one week.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-224057C7- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Darst served with the Huntington Beach Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Huntington Beach community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Darst.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Leo Roy Darst is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Huntington Beach Police Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Leo Roy Darst's cause is highlighted.
How Leo Roy Darst Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Leo Roy Darst is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Huntington Beach Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
