Officer Villalobos was awarded the Medal of Valor in 1999.
Officer Villalobos died a day after falling off a catwalk while performing an advanced SWAT training exercise at the United States Marine Corps base in Camp Pendleton, California. During the training exercise, Officer Villalobos slipped off of the 10-feet high catwalk. He sustained serious head injuries and died the next day.
Officer Villalobos had been with the Los Angeles Police Department for 29 years, and had been a member of the SWAT team for 17 years. He is survived by his parents and four children.