An officer from the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department tragically lost his life during a high-speed pursuit crash on Monday. The incident, which took place at the intersection of El Evado and Seneca roads, saw Deputy Hector Cuevas Jr., a six-year veteran of the department, collide with another vehicle. The force of the impact was strong enough to split the deputys patrol cruiser in half and disrupt nearby power lines.
Deputy Cuevas who had been assigned to the Sheriffs Victorville Station for the past three years, sadly lost his life at the location. His body was respectfully shrouded with an American flag as the medical examiner prepared for transportation. Aerial images were taken by Sky5 captured the ensuing scene.
The pursuit was initiated when a suspect, later identified as 22-year-old Ryan Blaine Turner Jr., a resident of San Bernardino, refused to pull over in a vehicle reported as stolen. The cause of the subsequent crash remains under investigation.
Turner, who has a previous record in Rialto of fleeing and injuring an officer, has been taken into custody. Hes expected to be charged with vehicular manslaughter while under the influence, and evading a police officer leading to serious injury or death. The San Bernardino County District Attorneys Office has been recommended to hold Turner without bail pending prosecution.
The collision also resulted in injury to a female occupant of a small black sedan caught in the crash — her condition remains unknown as she was rushed to hospital for treatment.
Deputy Cuevas is survived by his wife, two children, his parents and siblings — a brother and sister. He was remembered as a devoted family man and a cops cop, skilled in handling hardened criminals but equally adept at providing reassuring comfort to frightened children.
A motorcade and several police cruisers surrounded the medical examiners vehicle, forming a procession as citizens of San Bernardino paid their respects to the fallen officer.
From fender benders to freeway pileups, Pinnacle LLP has California covered. Contact us today for a free consultation.