The headline in the Virginia Pilot newspaper on December 28, 1981 read:
"Beach Officer Slain; Suspect Later Killed"
About 12:30 A.M., Sunday December 27th, a woman
called police to report that a man driving a yellow Cadillac had assaulted and tried to rape her on Hill Prince Road in Arrowhead. As Communication Officers were preparing to broadcast this information to all units, Officer Maloney reported a suspicious vehicle near Arrowhead. He tried to stop the vehicle but it sped off southbound on Parliament Drive and then into a dead end on Challedon Drive. After the car stopped, the driver jumped out and ran back to Officer Maloney´s police vehicle firing through the driver´s door window with a handgun.
Officer Maloney radioed for help reporting he had been shot. Several officers reached Officer Maloney within minutes and were able to give a full description of the suspect vehicle and the driver who was now linked to the earlier assault and attempted rape.
Officer John L. Bell observed a vehicle, fitting the description of the broadcast, and initiated a traffic stop. The driver, Julius Hyde Joyner, jumped out and fired a shot at Officer Bell. The bullet struck the windshield of Officer Bell´s police vehicle. Officer Bell returned fire, striking the suspect in the head and killing him.
Officer Maloney was 25 years old and a native of Buffalo, New York when he was killed. He had a wife who was 13 weeks pregnant with their first child. Officer Maloney had earned his Associate Degree in Criminal Justice in 1976 from Hilbert College, and his Bachelor Degree in Sociology in 1978 from the State University of New York in Buffalo. He was enrolled in an extension program at Little Creek Amphibious Base working towards his Master´s in Police Administration. He had joined the Virginia Beach Police Department in September, 1978 and was a graduate of the Tidewater Regional Police Academy at Old Dominion University.
Officer Maloney was the first Virginia Beach Police Officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty. It was not until fingerprints were verified that it was learned the suspect was an escaped felon who had been using his deceased nephew´s identity.