Blood drive will honor fallen CHP officer
LANCASTER — The Antelope Valley Area California Highway Patrol will host a blood drive on Thursday to honor Officer Andy Ornelas.
He joined the CHP in 2016 to continue his family’s legacy in law enforcement and help create a future that people would be proud of.
Ornelas was assigned to the Antelope Valley area office. He was on patrol Nov. 23, en route to a vehicle collision in Palmdale, when his CHP motorcycle collided with a pickup truck that attempted a U-turn directly in front of him. He died of his injuries on Dec. 2.
The CHP and Houchin Community Blood Bank are joining forces to encourage people in the community to donate blood in honor of Ornelas.
The blood drive will be hosted by the Antelope Valley CHP from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at their office at 2041 West Avenue I.
“Officer Andy Ornelas was dedicated to serving his community and to saving lives, both as a former paramedic and as a CHP officer,” Capt. Eric Broneer of the Antelope Valley CHP said. “He was on his way to help a complete stranger when he made the ultimate sacrifice. It is in this spirit I hope people will make the decision to donate blood, to help save the life of someone they’ve never met.”
For details about the blood drive, contact Synthia Rocha, account manager, at srocha@hcbb.com or 661331-1313.
To schedule an appointment, call Rocha or visit www.hcbb.com/schedule
Appointments are highly recommended.