Chandler Police announced that a memorial procession to honor Officer Christopher Farrar, who was killed in the line of duty on April 29, is 2 p.m. Friday afternoon, May 7, through south Chandler.
The procession begins southeast of Chandler Fashion Center and proceeds east on Frye Road over Loop 101 to Dobson Road, then south on Dobson to Germann Road, east on Germann to Alma School Road, and finally north on Alma School to Compass Christian Church.
Members of the public who want to honor and pay respect to the officer and his family should be in place along the route by 2.
A viewing that is open to the public is 6-10 p.m. Friday at Compass Christian Church, 1825 S. Alma School Road.
Memorial service at the church, is 9 a.m. Saturday. That, too, is open to the public, however seating is limited. Services will be live-streamed on the Chandler Police Department Facebook page.
Farrar served on the bicycle team and patrol division at CPD before joining the K-9 unit. He received numerous commendations and accolades, including the department Medal of Honor in 2004, Community Service Award in 2009 and Spotlight Award in 2019. There are at least four people alive who otherwise wouldn’t be had it not been for Farrar, reflected in his four Lifesaving Awards.
Farrar is survived by his mother, father, brother, sister, daughter, two sons and a grandchild, according to CPD.
The 100 Club of Arizona Survivor Fund is collecting money for Officer Farrar’s family. To make donations: 100club.org/fallen.
According to Gilbert Police, which is heading the investigation, Farrar, 50, an 18-year veteran of CPD, was part of a multi-agency chase of Jonathon Altland, 25, of Tolleson, that began at about 10 p.m. April 29 near Eloy in central Arizona when a Pinal County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull over a pickup truck that Altland was driving on suspicion of vehicle theft and speeding.
Altland sped away, firing shots at the deputy, driving north into Chandler at speeds reaching 100 mph and breaking through a gate to get onto the runway at Chandler Municipal Airport, forcing a shutdown of air traffic.
Altman then drove away onto Loop 202, heading the wrong way, and crashed at the Val Vista Drive ramp. He ditched the vehicle and ran into the nearby San Tan Ford dealership, which was closed.
As Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers, Pinal County deputies and officers from Chandler and Gilbert surrounded the dealership, Altland stole a car off the lot, which he used to run over Farrar and Gilbert Police Officer Rico Aranda.
Farrar later died at Chandler Regional Medical Center. Aranda was in the hospital for several days in critical condition with severe head injuries. He has improved and has since been released to a private rehabilitation facility.
The Gilbert Police Leadership Association has created a GoFundMe account in Officer Aranda’s name. To make donations for his family, go to: gofund.me/afda31c1. Please note that this is the only official donation source.
Three DPS troopers and a San Tan Ford dealership employee also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated at the hospital.
Altland, who was injured during his capture, also was at Chandler Regional for several days with undisclosed non-life-threatening injuries. Altland, who has previous convictions on auto theft and drug charges, has been charged with murder. Bail has been set at $3 million, cash.
His preliminary hearing is May 10. He also faces charges of aggravated assault and auto theft.
