February 22, 2021
The Washington State Patrol’s 27th fallen officer, Trooper Anthony V. Radulescu., was killed in the line of duty in the early morning hours of Feb. 23, 2012, while conducting a traffic stop on State Route 16 in Gorst. The trooper radioed in his location and the plate of the vehicle. After he failed to reply to a status inquiry, area units responded, only to find him shot and lying on the ground. He was transported to a hospital in Tacoma where he succumbed to his injuries.
Trooper Anthony V. Radulescu, more affectionately known as “Trooper Tony,” was rarely seen without his trademark smile. An immigrant from Romania, he had lived a remarkable life, serving in the U.S. Army during the first Gulf War and later the Army Reserves before beginning a 16 year career with WSP. But a life of optimism, service and promise ended when the trooper was senselessly gunned downed by a convicted felon that had promised to kill anyone who might ever try to arrest him again. Trooper Radulescu left behind a proud son, a loving fiancée, a grief stricken mother and father, two brothers and a sister, a shocked community, and a heartbroken agency full of friends and fans of the always smiling and kind hearted gentlemen. We remember…
BIO
Born in Bucharest, Romania on Aug. 7, 1967, Radulescu’s family immigrated to the United States on December 7, 1981, when Tony was just 14-years-old. He became a U.S. citizen and graduated from Harrison High School in Trenton, New Jersey, in June 1986.
Young Radulescu enlisted in the United States Army the summer after he graduated from high school, serving in the First Gulf War. He remained on active duty through 1994 and subsequently joined the Army Reserves. He retired as a Sergeant First Class in 2008, and was awarded the Army Service Ribbon, Army Lapel Button, Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Army Achievement Medal and Army Commendation Medal during his more than two decades of service.
His career began with the Washington State Patrol on Dec. 11, 1995, where he became a member of the 97th Trooper Basic Training Class. He was proudly commissioned as a Washington State Trooper on July 31, 1996, assigned to Kitsap County where he spent his entire 16-year career working detachments in Poulsbo and Bremerton.
“Trooper Tony’s” magnetic personality and abounding sense of optimism made him popular in the community he served. He often assisted at local schools and was part of the Aggressive Driving Apprehension Team (ADAT). He was beloved by those who worked alongside him for his unique outlook on life and unparalleled character.
END OF WATCH
Washington State Patrol Trooper Tony Radulescu was tragically killed in the early morning hours of Feb. 23, 2012, while conducting a traffic stop on State Route 16 in Gorst. The stop began as any other: Radulescu initiated the contact and provided Washington State Patrol Communications with his location and the plate of the vehicle. After he failed to answer status inquiries, area units responded to check on Radulescu, only to find him lying wounded on the ground with what would become fatal gunshot wounds.
The driver, Joshua Blake, a convicted felon shot Radulescu as the trooper approached the pickup truck on the passenger’s side. Blake was remembered by Department of Corrections personnel as a hard case, someone who showed constant belligerence and resistance to authority. He had bragged to acquaintances that he would kill any member of law enforcement who would ever try to arrest him upon his release from prison.
The cowardly criminal fled the area, leaving a mortally wounded Radulescu behind on the cold and dark roadside. Aid transported the grievously wounded trooper to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, where he tragically succumbed to his injuries.
AFTERMATH
An intense man-hunt for the driver lead to the discovery of the abandoned pickup truck near Port Orchard three hours after the shooting. Blake committed suicide as law enforcement attempted to contact him at his Port Orchard residence. Blake’s girlfriend was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting and was convicted of rendering criminal assistance, along with several other individuals who had lied to investigators or helped him during his brief and final run from the law.
Trooper Radulescu is survived by his son, Erick, fiancé Gina Miller, parents Leslie and Maria, and siblings Mario, Dianna and George Nicholson.
He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor Committee in May 2012. State Route 16 from milepost 18 to milepost 28 has been renamed the “WSP Trooper Tony Radulescu Memorial Highway” in his honor in 2016.
On the anniversary of his death, we pause to remember a man who became an American by choice, who then chose to serve his new country in a time of a war and in a time of peace that he helped secure. His choices of service did not end there however, he joined law enforcement and willingly placed himself in harm’s way day after day, night after night, shift after shift, for 16 years before his death in the line of duty.
We remember his smile. We remember his sacrifice. We remember his choices to serve and are honored by his valor. We remember…
###