On July 11th, 2024, Police Officer Matthew Bowen died from injuries he received after being struck by a vehicle while initiating a traffic stop.

At approximately 11:00 a.m., he initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of Leisure Town Road and Orange Drive. While stopped along northbound Leisure Town Road, Officer Bowen and the driver he had pulled over were hit from behind by a driver who was under the influence of drugs. The driver’s impaired condition and failure to stop led to a violent collision that threw Officer Bowen from his motorcycle.

Officer Bowen was transported to Kaiser Vacaville Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries at approximately 3:00 p.m.

After striking Officer Bowen, the driver attempted to flee the scene but was stopped by community members and detained until additional officers arrived. She was arrested at the scene.

Officer Bowen had served with the Vacaville Police Department for just over one year and had previously served with the Concord Police Department for three and a half years. He was survived by his wife, two children, his parents, and one brother.