A high-speed pursuit ended in tragedy on Monday when Deputy Hector Cuevas Jr., 36, was killed in a collision during a pursuit near the intersection of El Evado and Seneca Roads.
The pursuit began after 22-year-old Ryan Dwayne Turner Jr., a San Bernardino resident with a prior record for fleeing and injuring a deputy, failed to yield in a stolen vehicle.
During the chase, the suspect’s actions resulted in the deputy’s patrol cruiser colliding with another vehicle, splitting the cruiser in half and knocking down nearby power lines. A female passenger in a small black sedan was injured and transported to hospital.
Deputy Cuevas, a six-year veteran assigned to the Victorville Station, was pronounced dead at the scene. A motorcade and police cruisers surrounded the medical examiner’s vehicle as tributes were paid by local residents.
Turner has been arrested on charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and evading police, and is being held without bail pending further proceedings.
Governor Gavin Newsom expressed his condolences, announcing that flags at the State Capitol will fly at half-staff in honor of the fallen deputy.
