Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Thomas Coleman was killed in a motorcycle crash while pursuing a traffic violator he was attempting to stop in Redlands.
At 6:30 am, Officer Coleman was traveling northbound on Mountain View, just north of I- 10, when his motorcycle collided with a semitrailer at the intersection of San Bernardino Avenue and Alabama Street approximately one minute into the pursuit. The vehicle he was pursuing crashed into another vehicle moments later and all four occupants were apprehended. The driver was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Officer Coleman succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene.
Officer Coleman had served with the California Highway Patrol for over 7½ years and was assigned to the San Bernardino Area of the Inland Division. He was a US Marine Corps veteran.
Survivors
Officer Coleman is survived by his wife, 2-year-old son, 8-month-old daughter, brother, three sisters and parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-FDD7DB43- 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.
Officer Coleman gave the California Highway Patrol 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. 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
Thomas Philip Coleman served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Officer Thomas Philip Coleman 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 California Highway Patrol, 151 of 233 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 64.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas Philip Coleman's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas Philip Coleman Compares
Offender Outcome
Apprehended
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Philip Coleman is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
232 officers from California Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
