Honor Fallen Laguna Beach First Responders At City Ceremony

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Laguna Beach residents have the chance to honor two officers who died in the line of duty on Sept. 21, as the city hosts its annual Fallen Officer Remembrance Ceremony.

The ceremony will commemorate the lives of Laguna Beach Police officers Gordon French and Jon Coutchie, the city said.

Coutchie, 41, was riding his motorcycle of South Coast Highway at 11:45 p.m., when he hit a pickup truck turning left onto Cleo Street.

According to police, Coutchie was thrown from his motorcycle and died on site.

Officer Gordon French died in 1953, after being shot by a prisoner attempting to escape from the police station.

The annual Fallen Officer Remembrance Ceremony takes place at 4:30 p.m. near the Laguna Beach Police Department’s headquarters, 505 Forest Ave.