Ryan Clinkunbroomer: Palmdale Ambush, Charges, and $20M Claim

Ryan Clinkunbroomer was a 30-year-old Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy ambushed and fatally shot in his marked patrol car in Palmdale, California, on September 16, 2023. The gunman, 29-year-old Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, was arrested about 36 hours later and charged with murder with special circumstances. He has pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity, and as of January 2026 his trial is expected to begin no earlier than July 20, 2026, at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.¹

The Ambush in Palmdale

Around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 16, 2023, Clinkunbroomer left the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station and drove north on Sierra Highway. Prosecutors say Salazar followed the marked SUV from the station, pulled alongside it at the intersection of Sierra Highway and Avenue Q, and fired from the driver’s seat of his own car before speeding off.² Clinkunbroomer was in full uniform, stopped at a red light less than a block from the station.³

A passing motorist, Avak Astajyan, found the deputy unconscious and bleeding and ran to the sheriff’s station to report an officer down.⁴ Clinkunbroomer was taken to Antelope Valley Medical Center in Lancaster, where he died from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.⁵ Sheriff Robert Luna called the killing an “ambush attack” and “an attack on law enforcement as a whole.”²

Who Ryan Clinkunbroomer Was

Clinkunbroomer was a third-generation member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. His father, Michael, is a sergeant in the department, and his grandfather also served as a deputy.⁶ He grew up in the Santa Clarita Valley and attended West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch, where he ran track and cross-country. He spent eight years with the department and transferred to the Palmdale station in July 2018.⁷

He had spent a year and a half as a field training officer and hoped to become a detective. Colleagues described him as “smart,” “dependable,” and a “deputy’s deputy.”⁶ Four days before his death, he had proposed to his fiancée, Brittany Lindsey.⁸

How the Suspect Was Identified and Arrested

Within hours, investigators circulated surveillance video of a dark gray 2006–2012 Toyota Corolla driving alongside Clinkunbroomer’s SUV. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors, the city of Palmdale, and the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs posted a $250,000 reward.⁹ Tips led investigators to Salazar, a Palmdale resident.

Around 5:00 a.m. on September 18, 2023, the department’s Special Enforcement Bureau served a search warrant at Salazar’s home in the 37600 block of Barrinson Street. He barricaded himself inside for roughly four hours before hostage negotiators talked him out. Deputies recovered a “substantial amount of firearms” from the residence along with the Toyota Corolla seen in the video.¹⁰

Prosecutors later presented evidence that Salazar had purchased a .22-caliber revolver in the weeks before the shooting, and that a motorist, Syed Alam, had photographed his license plate after an aggressive road confrontation seven minutes before the ambush.¹¹ During questioning, Salazar acknowledged his involvement, said he “cried for the (expletive) officer,” and told investigators his troubles “started a long time ago before COVID” and that he “began to hear voices in his head.”⁴ A law enforcement official, speaking anonymously, said Salazar apparently had no prior criminal record.¹²

Salazar’s Mental Health History

Salazar’s family spoke publicly within days of his arrest. His mother, Marle Salazar, said he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia roughly five years earlier. She said he heard voices, believed he was being followed, and would sometimes yell, cover his ears, or put his head in a trash can to silence the sounds. He had attempted suicide twice since the diagnosis and had been hospitalized for psychiatric treatment in Sylmar within the year before the ambush.¹³

His sister, Jessica Salazar, said he had been placed on multiple 72-hour psychiatric holds but repeatedly released. Police told the family the weapons found at their home had been purchased legally.¹⁴ Salazar had stopped taking his medication about 10 months before the shooting, and his mother said she had called police to their home at least twice as he grew aggressive. She recalled being told each time that because he was an adult, officers could not force him to take his medication.¹²

The Charges and Pleas

On September 20, 2023, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Salazar with one count of murder. The complaint carried special circumstance allegations that he murdered a peace officer, killed by means of lying in wait, and discharged a firearm from a motor vehicle. The weapon was identified as a .22-caliber revolver.² Salazar entered dual pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity, and has been held without bail since his arrest.¹¹

On June 13, 2024, Superior Court Judge Kathleen Blanchard ordered Salazar to stand trial after a preliminary hearing. The detective who interrogated him testified that Salazar did not appear to have trouble understanding questions and only referenced hearing voices when asked specifically about the killing.⁴

The Death Penalty Question

In September 2023, then-District Attorney George Gascón announced he would not seek the death penalty, citing his view that “the death penalty doesn’t serve as a deterrent” and pointing to California’s moratorium on executions, in place since Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019 executive order.¹⁵ The maximum penalty Gascón would pursue was life without parole.¹⁶

Nathan Hochman, who took office as District Attorney in December 2024, formally rescinded Gascón’s blanket ban in a March 2025 statement, replacing it with a policy allowing the death penalty to be sought “only after an extensive and comprehensive review and only in exceedingly rare cases.”¹⁷ At a January 2026 hearing, the prosecution confirmed it is not currently seeking capital punishment in the Clinkunbroomer case.¹

Why the Trial Keeps Slipping

Salazar has been found mentally competent to stand trial, but the defense plans to build its case around his mental health.¹⁸ Four medical evaluations tied to the insanity plea, two from each side, have been prepared.¹

Defense attorney Kevin George Rosenstock has questioned whether Salazar can get a fair trial in the Antelope Valley, citing the media coverage and the concentration of law enforcement personnel in the community. In May 2025, Rosenstock sought $9,500 in public funds to hire media expert Ross Johnson to analyze the pretrial media environment.¹⁷ The court authorized the hiring at up to $475 per hour.¹⁹ No formal change-of-venue motion has been filed or ruled on in the most recent reporting.

The case was moved from the Antelope Valley Courthouse to the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles. Judge Scott Andrew Yang indicated the transfer was necessary because the Antelope Valley facility lacked a courtroom that could accommodate the anticipated five-week trial. As of January 2026, Judge Ronald Coen is presiding, and defense counsel told the court that July 20, 2026, would be the earliest possible start date.¹

The Family’s $20 Million Claim Against the County

On November 27, 2023, Michael and Kim Clinkunbroomer filed a $20 million wrongful death claim against Los Angeles County, the Sheriff’s Department, and the city of Palmdale. The claim alleged that “consistent, historic executive mismanagement” left roughly 2,000 deputy positions vacant, forcing remaining personnel into what the family’s attorney called “mind-numbing” mandatory overtime often exceeding 100 hours per month.²⁰ The family argued this schedule left their son chronically exhausted and unable to detect the danger approaching his vehicle, and that the county was aware of the hazard.²¹ Beyond damages, the family sought policy changes to how the department manages overtime.²² The Sheriff’s Department mourned the deputy and reaffirmed its commitment to prosecuting Salazar but did not address the overtime allegations. The county’s lawyers declined to comment. The government claim is a precursor to a formal lawsuit; the available record does not show a final resolution.

Kim Clinkunbroomer was also the family’s most public voice on the death penalty question. Learning of Gascón’s 2023 decision at a press conference, she said: “How dare you, on national TV, tell me you’re not seeking the death penalty because it won’t bring my son back? My son’s not coming back, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your job.” She called the decision “a disgrace” and urged Los Angeles voters to weigh the District Attorney’s policies at the next election.²³

Memorials in Clinkunbroomer’s Name

Several public honors have followed the deputy’s death:

The California Legislature passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 151, chaptered on August 21, 2024, designating a section of Interstate 5 between Magic Mountain Parkway and Valencia Boulevard in Santa Clarita as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer Memorial Highway.²⁴
On September 16, 2025, the second anniversary of his death, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Kathryn Barger to rename the Castaic Sports Complex the Ryan M. Clinkunbroomer Castaic Sports Complex, and directed the establishment of an annual scholarship supporting youth programs there. A dedication ceremony was held on January 16, 2026.²⁵²⁶
Rep. George Whitesides introduced H.R. 6164 in the 119th Congress to rename the Castaic Post Office in Clinkunbroomer’s honor.²⁷

1
The Signal. Murder Trial Now Likely to Start This Summer
2
Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Man Charged With Murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer in Palmdale
3
NPR. $250K Reward Offered for Assailant Who Shot Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy
4
iHeartRadio. Man Ordered to Stand Trial for Sheriff’s Deputy’s Shooting Death
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Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Update on the Murder of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer in Palmdale
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Los Angeles Times. Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer
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Los Angeles Association of Professional Officers and Administrators. Ryan Clinkunbroomer
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Fox Los Angeles. Fiancée of Murdered Palmdale Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer Speaks Out for First Time
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ABC News. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Shot in Patrol Vehicle
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Los Angeles County. Man Charged With Murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer in Palmdale
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CNN. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Shooting Suspect Plea
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Daily News. Suspect in Killing of LA County Deputy Battled Mental Illness, Hallucinations, Family Says
13
Los Angeles Times. Suspect in Deputy Killing Heard Voices, Attempted Suicide, Mother Says
14
New York Post. Suspect in Fatal Shooting of LA Deputy Is Mentally Ill, Mom Says
15
NBC Los Angeles. LA County Deputy Clinkunbroomer Death Penalty Decision
16
Death Penalty Information Center. LA District Attorney Won’t Pursue the Death Penalty
17
Antelope Valley Press. Defense Alleges Media Bias in Deputy Shooting
18
The Signal. Clinkunbroomer Trial Set for March, Could Move
19
The Signal. Defense Questions Suspect’s Shot at Fair Trial in Deputy Murder Case
20
Los Angeles Times. Family of Slain Palmdale Deputy Files $20 Million Wrongful Death Claim Against County
21
LAist. Family of LA County Sheriff’s Deputy Plan to Claim in Lawsuit That Forced Overtime Contributed to His Death
22
KTLA. Family of Slain LASD Deputy to Sue LA County Officials
23
ABC News. Mom of Slain Deputy Devastated DA Not Pursuing Death Penalty
24
California Digital Democracy. SCR 151
25
Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Barger Leads Renaming of Castaic Sports Complex
26
Daily News. LA County Renames Castaic Sports Complex for Slain Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer
27
U.S. Congress. H.R. 6164