H.B. officer killed in line of duty 44 years ago is immortalized with street sign

The Huntington Beach Police Department dedicated a street sign Saturday to an officer who died after being struck by a vehicle 44 years ago.

City officials and members of the Police Department gathered at Adams Avenue and Beach Boulevard to honor Officer Leslie James Prince.

Prince died Dec. 1, 1974, after suffering injuries weeks before when he and his partner, Officer Steve Ekstedt, were assigned to help a traffic officer at the intersection of Beach and Adams, authorities said. A power failure caused the traffic signals at the intersection to malfunction.

Prince was struck by a speeding pickup that entered the intersection against another officer’s direction, authorities said. Prince was thrown onto the hood of the truck and was carried for some distance before the vehicle came to a rest and he rolled onto the street, authorities said.

Saturday’s ceremony was the last of three scheduled in Huntington Beach to honor law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

A sign dedicated Nov. 19 along Pacific Coast Highway near the Bolsa Chica wetlands honors Orange County sheriff’s Deputy Ezra Stanley, who was killed in 1940 when his patrol car was hit by a driver police say was under the influence.

A sign dedicated Oct. 13 near Crest Avenue and Main Street pays tribute to Huntington Beach police Officer Leo Roy “LeRoy” Darst, who was killed in a crash in 1928.