The 41st annual Memorial Torch Relay passed through the Santa Clarita Valley Saturday night, honoring Los Angeles County peace officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

After kicking off Friday morning in downtown Los Angeles, the Memorial Torch Relay passed through Santa Clarita as the 300-mile relay continued to stop at almost every one of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s patrol stations.

Before the torch was passed, Santa Clarita law enforcement officials gathered at the monument on the corner of Stevenson Ranch Parkway and Poe Parkway dedicated to Deputy Jake Kuredjian, who was killed in 2001.

Kuredjian was shot and killed August 31, 2001, while serving and protecting the residents of the Santa Clarita Valley. He had been assigned to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station since 1995, and was appointed as a motor officer for six months prior to his untimely death. He was 40 years old.

The 2018 Memorial Torch Relay Run honored Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Steven Belanger, who was shot in the head in 1994 by a man on a skateboard while questioning another suspect he had pulled over. The bullet remained lodged in his skull the rest of his life. Belanger died in February at the age of 52 due to complications related to injuries he suffered from the shooting.

Four other fallen officers were also honored. Murray Olsen, an officer with the Los Angeles County Department of Hospitals died in 1975. LAPD officer Frank Coe died in 1921. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s motorcycle officer Louis Allison died in 1915. Vernon deputy city marshall Maurice Halleran died in 1913.

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