Roll of Honor
Michael Richard Arruda
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Michael Arruda succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained six days earlier when he was accidentally shot by another deputy.
Deputy Arruda and three deputies responded to the Motel 6 at 1154 S 7th Avenue in in Hacienda Heights on June 9th, 2004, after receiving a call that someone was firing shots and threatening people. When the deputies arrived, they went to the unit where the suspect was reported to be staying. As they walked toward the unit, the subject exited carrying a pellet pistol that closely resembled a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun and began firing at the deputies. The deputies returned fire, killing the subject.
One of the rounds fired by the deputies struck Deputy Arruda in the neck, seriously wounding him.
Deputy Arruda was transported to Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where he remained until his death six days later.
Deputy Arruda had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 13 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his son, daughter, fiancée, parents, brother, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-E68C869A- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Arruda gave the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Michael Richard Arruda served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Sheriff Michael Richard Arruda 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 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept., 50 of 120 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael Richard Arruda's cause is highlighted.
How Michael Richard Arruda Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Richard Arruda is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
119 officers from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
