ANTELOPE VALLEY, Calif. -- Hundreds of motorcycles are out on the roadways of the Antelope Valley.  

Typically, they ride for camaraderie, but now they ride for a comrade.

“I’m here to honor Steve Owen. I used to work with him at the Lancaster Station and with the mounted enforcement detail.  Hopefully, something like this won’t happen again," said Lancaster resident Kenneth Saylor.

“I’ve worked with Sergeant Steve Owen for the past 10 years.  He was one of my partners.  He was one of my mentors.  He was somebody that was a staple at our station, somebody that everybody looked up to him. He was a standup guy. He impacted everybody’s life," said Christian Scott, President/CEO of Help For Heroes.

Sergeant Owen was killed last year in the line of duty with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.  Known as “Bullfrog,” organizers named the motorcycle event the “Bullfrog Wild Poker Ride,” after Owen. His son, Chadd, recalls the reason for the rest of that name.

“Our whole family went dirt bike riding when we were younger and even to like the last year or so, when we all started working.  Every time we went on a ride, we’d always end up somewhere and we were never lost, we just never found the right way back, so my cousin actually coined it, ‘Uncle Steve’s Wild Ride.’,” he said.

Help For Heroes is sponsoring this ride. The non-profit provides counseling and morale-boosting for first responders, which is where Bullfrog proceeds will be directed. While parts of this event are solemn, it’s also meant to celebrate Sergeant Owen’s life and love of riding.  During the ride, participants will make stops and collect poker cards, with best hand winning at the end.  

They’ll also learn more about Sergeant Owen along the way.  Owen’s wife, Tania, appreciates the turnout.

“It really shows the support of the community has given law enforcement and of course, considering the way things are going nowadays, this is huge to honor and celebrate this wonderful man that we had up here in the Valley for over 20 years,” she said.

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