Duty Death: Robert Rumfelt - [Lake County]
End of Service: 22/08/2017
By Police1 Staff
LAKEPORT, Calif. — A deputy has died after crashing his vehicle shortly after an altercation with a suspect in a domestic violence call.
Police were called Tuesday to a fight involving four to five people, Lake Co News reported. When deputies arrived, they saw Alex Michael Castillo, 21, run into the woods, covered in blood.
Officers attempted to arrest Castillo, but he resisted. Deputy Sheriff Robert Rumfelt was involved in an altercation with Castillo, Sheriff Brian Martin said. A deputy deployed a TASER and detained Castillo.
Officials cleared the scene and as he was leaving, Rumfelt struck a tree with his patrol SUV.
Investigators are looking into how he lost control and crashed. Police are investigating the possibility that Rumfelt may have suffered injuries in the fight that led to the crash. They suspect he may have suffered a heart attack. He was not driving at a high speed or with his lights on at the time of the crash.
Rumfelt started with the Lakefort Police Department in 1997, briefly leaving in 2006 to work overseas as a private law enforcement training contractor. While serving at the department, he was a firearms instructor, field training officer and mentor to new deputies. He is the first Lake County Sheriff’s officer to die in the line of duty in almost 40 years.
“Our hearts are saddened,” Martin said. “He was a true friend to a lot of us. He was very well respected by his peers and everyone who knew him.”
Rumfelt is survived by his wife and two daughters.