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John Walter Armatoski
Agency patch
Officer

John Walter Armatoski

California Highway Patrol — Sacramento, CA
Felonious
United States flag California flag
End of Watch May 1, 1953
Age 35
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Badge 1281
The Vigil Panel 89 ›
Gender Male
Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 232

Incident

Officer John Armatoski was struck and killed by a drunk driver as he stood beside a car he had stopped near Needles, California. The 57-year-old driver was jailed for drunk driving and other charges. Five days later he hanged himself in his jail cell. Officer Armatoski had served with the agency for 5 years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-F3E0C0F8
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 Armatoski gave the California Highway Patrol 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Armatoski.

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

Agency

Department California Highway Patrol
Location Sacramento, CA
Platform Identity chp.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 1, 1953
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 35
Badge Number 1281
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Automobile; Alcohol involved
Offender Committed suicide

Officer John Walter Armatoski 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 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 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

At California Highway Patrol, 71 of 233 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 30.5% of this agency's fallen.

California Highway Patrol
71
of 233 officers
30.5% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Walter Armatoski's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How John Walter Armatoski Compares

Age at End of Watch
35
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Committed suicide

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Walter Armatoski is highlighted in May.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Walter Armatoski was killed by automobile; alcohol involved.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518