CASA GRANDE, AZ — Six Highway Patrol State Troopers from District 6 conducted a five-hour traffic enforcement operation on October 14, 2025, honoring the memory of Trooper Johnny E. Garcia, who died in the line of duty exactly 36 years earlier.
Officer Garcia, badge number 3572, was killed on October 14, 1989, while responding to reports of a drunk driver whose vehicle was stuck in a right-of-way fence near the Picacho interchange on Interstate 10. The 33-year-old officer was passing another vehicle on State Route 84 near Casa Grande when his patrol car struck loose gravel on the roadway. His vehicle rolled three times, struck another car, and then collided with a tree. Officer Garcia died at the scene.
According to records, Garcia was just minutes away from completing his shift when he chose to respond to the call for service. He had served with the Arizona Department of Public Safety for three and a half years.
“A memorial mile marker and our Troopers in Casa Grande keep his legacy of dedicated service alive,” the department stated.
