Brandon Harper

by Catherine Harper

Brandon Louis Harper was 26 years old and on his way to get a Jumbo Jack at 10:00 p.m., when a 20-year-old boy being pursued by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, hit my son at 87 miles an hour. Being the single mother of one son, and then having that one son taken from me was hard enough, but then realizing that the Sheriffs were pursuing the 20-year-old on two of the busiest streets in our city brought me to a new awareness about the tragedy that surrounds high speed pursuits.

On January 20, 2007, so many lives were forever altered. Brandon touched so many lives.

About Us

Yes, here’s Brandon when he was a “little guy.”

The love in these pictures will bring tears as well as smiles. At right, Brandon poses with Cousin Jenna.

Brandon was Catherine’s only child. He was charismatic and had friends from all walks of life. “He loved bringing people together,” she said. “He would hold barbecues at his house and gather a group of friends to watch the games.”

A makeshift memorial surrounds two traffic poles at the southwest corner of Broadway and Betteravia Road.

Get the Word Out

We produced this video in 2009, so the number of deaths is much higher today. In 2023, law enforcement and experts who study this deadly force problem report the death toll has risen to almost Two a Day killed by Police Pursuit Crashes—more than 1/3 of those killed are innocent bystanders.

Catherine Harper writes in an e-mail:

I found that innocent victims die and become maimed weekly, due to the pursuit “protocol” and the immunity that these government entities are allowed when “protocol” is questioned. The fact that Kristie’s Law has not been established when Kristie’s parents take this bill before committee each year, gives me even more strength to join with all of the families of innocent victims to rally to get Kristie’s Law passed. For me it will also be Brandon’s Law, as well as all the others who will feel it is also their loved one’s law and that justice has been done. It gives me some peace, since I lost my son only 2 months ago, knowing that I am not alone in my grief and anger and that others feel as I do.

God Bless you all!!

 

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