After deputy killed in pursuit crash, San Bernardino County sheriff to announce charges against suspect

CBS News

19-03-2025

San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson is expected to announce criminal charges Wednesday against a man suspected of leading authorities on a pursuit that left a deputy dead and an innocent driver injured in Victorville.
Deputy Hector Cuevas Jr., 36, was following Ryan Dwayne Turner Jr., 22, on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle when he and a driver not involved in the chase collided at the intersection of Seneca and El Evado roads on Monday, authorities said. His patrol car was left split in half after hitting a light pole after the crash with the other driver. While the other driver has said the deputy did not have emergency sirens on, details surrounding the deadly crash have not been confirmed by authorities and it remains under investigation.
The chase had started at about 10:58 a.m. Monday when San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies spotted a reported stolen vehicle near Mojave Drive and Amargosa Road in Victorville, according to sheriff's officials. Turner, the driver, did not pull over and a pursuit ensued which resulted in the crash that killed Cuevas, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The other driver was taken to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening, authorities said. Turner was arrested after he stopped near El Evado Road and Zuni Lane and ran from the scene before officers found him and took him into custody.
Turner is being held on at the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, evading a peace officer causing death or serious injury and possession of a stolen vehicle, inmate records show.
Prosecutors are expected to announce the charges against him later Wednesday during a news conference around noon.
Authorities said it's not the first time Turner has been convicted in a police chase that resulted in a crash.
He was convicted of grand theft auto for a police chase last year which also resulted in a crash, according to the Rialto Police Department. He was leading Rialto police officers on a high-speed chase on Jan. 29, 2024, reaching speeds of more than 90 mph as the pursuit wound through surface streets from Rialto to the city of San Bernardino, police said.
Upon reaching the intersection of North Meridian Ave and Foothill Boulevard in San Bernardino, the main officer in pursuit of Turner collided into another vehicle entering the intersection — a crash authorities say happened while officers had all their emergency lights and sirens on. Less than a month later, on Feb. 22, 2024, Turner entered a plea deal which led to a 16-month prison sentence.
According to police, he pled no contest to grand theft auto and prosecutors dropped previously filed charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and felony evading. While he was sentenced to 16 months, he only served eight months in prison before being released in October 2024 as part of California Penal Code § 4019, a statute enacted in 2011 that can lead to reduce jail and prison sentences.
"Our hearts are broken for the deputy's family as they process this tragedy. Furthermore, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department should not be preparing to bury one of their own," Rialto Police Chief Mark Kling said in a statement. "Ryan Turner's actions speak loudly that he has a habitual pattern of fleeing law enforcement because he fears no consequences."
Loved ones paid their respects to Cuevas — a six-year law enforcement veteran, husband and father of two young children — during a vigil Tuesday evening. He has been remembered for his service in law enforcement as well as his work mentoring young football players in Rialto, where he attended Wilmer Amina Carter High School before going on to play college football.
Family members and fellow deputies continued gathering at a memorial, set up at the site of the crash, throughout Wednesday morning as they remembered Cuevas' life and service.
"Putting on that uniform everyday was something that just brightened his day. That was something he loved," said his uncle, LJ Rivera.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus told reporters Tuesday that Cuevas has been remembered fondly by his community and loved ones as law enforcement officials led a procession carrying his remains from the crash site to the San Bernardino County Coroner's office.
"Hector was described as a devout family man and by his law enforcement officers as a 'cop's cop' who has the ability to go between dealing with the most hardcore gang member to turning around and being able to talk to a child and make sure that they felt safe," Dicus said.
It remains unclear what exactly happened in the final moments before the deadly crash as that information has not been confirmed by law enforcement. However, Marcelline Demyan, the 23-year-old woman whose car collided with Cuevas' patrol vehicle, told CBS News Los Angeles that she was making a left turn at a green arrow light when the deputy's vehicle crashed into hers.
Demyan said his patrol vehicle struck her front end and part of her driver's side, leaving damage also to the front end of his vehicle. She said she felt sorry for Cuevas' family, and the crash left her with injuries to her leg, hand and shoulder, which she received treatment for at a hospital before being released Tuesday.
"He didn't have the siren on, he didn't have the noise on -- nothing," she said. "Because if I seen him, I would've stopped because I know if it's emergency, we have to stop. But I didn't see him."
Her account of the crash has not been confirmed by authorities.