Thursday, August 31, 2017, marks sixteen years since Deputy Hagop “Jake” Kuredjian paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving and protecting the residents of the Santa Clarita Valley.
Jake was shot and killed in the line of duty while assisting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms during the service of a search warrant on Friday, August 31, 2001, in Stevenson Ranch. He was 40 years old.
Jake, was a 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and had been assigned to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station since 1995.
He was an avid motorcyclist and after serving in many other capacities at the station had been assigned as a motor officer in the Santa Clarita Valley for six months prior to his untimely death.
In 1989, Deputy Kuredjian was awarded the Sheriff’s Department’s Gold Meritorious Conduct Medal by former Sheriff Sherman Block for saving the life of a woman clinging to a small tree branch atop a cliff in the City of Malibu.
A beautifully engraved monument dedicated to Jake in Stevenson Ranch was unveiled on November 1, 2001, at the corner of Stevenson Ranch Parkway and Poe Parkway. It serves as a prevalent community reminder to keep Jake’s memory alive in the community and remind us all of sacrifice he made.
On Wednesday, October 6, 2004, a ceremony was held to dedicate Jake Kuredjian Park at 26265 Pico Canyon Road, Stevenson Ranch, which was created to honor the memory of Jake.
Jake is missed by many, and he will always be remembered.
SOURCE: Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station
