Surf City cop dies

Lauren Vane

One Huntington Beach Police officer has died and another remains

hospitalized after both were admitted over the weekend for

experiencing flu-like symptoms, police said.

Both officers attended a police training session in Riverside a

week earlier, police said.

Motor Officer Mark Hanson died Sunday from complications of the

flu, police said. Police are waiting for the autopsy results to

determine the cause of death.

“I can tell you that our whole department is tremendously saddened

by his sudden death,” said Huntington Beach Police Chief Ken Small.

Officer Bob Barr was admitted to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach on

Sunday night, exhibiting similar symptoms, police said. Barr is

expected to be released soon.

Both officers attended a traffic collision training session in

Riverside last week, Barr said. There were about 10 officers who

attended the training, where they ate meals together and were in

close contact with one another, he said.

Barr sat next to Hanson during training and noticed that Hanson

was not feeling well on Thursday.

“I noticed he was coughing and then he didn’t show up for class on

Friday,” Barr said.

Barr told his fellow officer to get well soon and that he would

see him at work on Monday, Barr said. Hanson was hospitalized Sunday

and died that night, police said.

“I was shocked, so was everybody else,” Barr said.

Hanson was a senior officer with the police department and had

worked with Barr since the early 1990s, Barr said.

When Barr started to feel the onset of similar cold symptoms, he

went to the hospital due to the severity of Hanson’s condition, Barr

said.

“When I found out he had passed away they put me in isolation,”

Barr said.

The police training session that both officers had attended last

week was led by Det. Ron Sanders of the Seattle Police Department,

police said. According to Seattle Police, Sanders also experienced

flu-like symptoms but is now feeling fine.

“He’s still not 100%,” said Scott Moss, a spokesman for the

Seattle Police Department. “He’s back to work and he’s fine.”

Barr has undergone numerous tests and hopes to be released soon

from the hospital, where he remains in isolation, he said.

“I got my fingers crossed,” Barr said. “I hope this is one of

those isolated instances.”