A CHP motorcycle officer’s death in a Central California Highway 99 crash Monday marked the agency’s first line-of-duty loss since 2020, state officials said.
CHP identified the officer as 44-year-old Brian Liles, a more than 16-year veteran assigned to the Visalia office.
Newsom ordered flags at the California State Capitol lowered to half-staff in Liles’ honor.
“Officer Brian Liles dedicated his life to serving our communities,” Newsom said in a statement.
The crash happened around 5:10 p.m. near Tipton in Tulare County.
Liles was riding a department motorcycle northbound on Highway 99 when he collided with a truck-tractor, CHP said. The impact threw him from the motorcycle, and he was then struck by a passing vehicle.
Despite lifesaving efforts from first responders, Liles died at the scene.
CHP’s Central Division accident investigation team is investigating the crash.
Liles joined CHP after graduating from the academy in 2010. He first worked in San Jose and later served in Hayward and Fresno before transferring to Visalia in 2019.
In December 2025, he became one of the first motorcycle officers assigned to the Visalia area after completing CHP motorcycle training.
Liles is survived by his wife, two children, parents and two sisters, CHP said.
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