April 2025. Blues Vol 41 No.4

AROUND THE COUNTRYSAN

AROUND THE COUNTRYSAN BERNARDINO, CA.Deputy Sheriff Hector Cuevas was killed when his patrol car struck apole at the intersection of El Evado and Seneca in California.A San Bernardino County sheriff’sdeputy has died after beinginvolved in a car chase.On Monday, March 17, the SanBernardino County Sheriff's Departmentrevealed that DeputyHector Cuevas, Jr., 36, was killedafter his vehicle collided withanother while chasing 22-yearoldRyan Dwayne Turner Jr, asuspect driving a stolen car.“On Monday, March 17, 2025, atabout 10:58 a.m., deputies fromthe Victorville Station observeda stolen vehicle near MojaveDrive and Amargosa Road, inVictorville,” police said in a newsrelease. “Deputies attempted atraffic stop but the suspect, RyanTurner, failed to yield and a pursuitensued.”“During the pursuit, DeputyHector Cuevas, Jr. was involvedin a traffic collision with anothervehicle," the release continued.“Cuevas succumbed to his injuriesand was pronounced deceasedat the scene. The femaledriver of the other vehicle wastransported to a hospital fornon-life-threatening injuries.”Authorities say Turner stoppedthe car at El Evado Road andZuni Lane and fled on foot.However, he “was subsequentlycaught and taken into custody.”40 The BLUES - APRIL ‘25“The Sheriff’s Major AccidentInvestigation Team (MAIT) isconducting the investigation todetermine the cause of the accident,”the release concluded.Footage from the scene sharedby local media outlets KABC andKCAL showed Cuevas Jr.’s patrolvehicle cut in half. The outletsreported that Cuevas Jr.'s car hita light pole before splitting intotwo.During a press conference,Sheriff Shannon Dicus confirmedthat the suspect was arrested forvehicular manslaughter whileintoxicated, as well as evading apeace officer and causing deathor serious injury. "[He] will beseeking no bail from our judges,"Dicus added.Dicus also said that Turnerhad previously been involved ina police chase and also causedanother officer to collide with amember of the public.The sheriff called Monday'scollision "tragic and horrific" andshared that Cuevas Jr. leavesbehind a wife and two children,along with his parents and twosiblings. "He was a devout familyman," Dicus added.While the exact circumstancessurrounding the collision are unknown,Dicus said, 23-year-oldDEPUTY HECTOR CUEVAS, JR.Marcelline Demyan, the driver ofthe other vehicle involved in thecollision, told CBS News Los Angelesthat her car was hit afterturning left at a traffic light.The impact caused her to veerinto a power box, which left thenearby neighborhood withoutpower.According to the outlet, Demyansuffered lacerations in thecrash, including one on her chestfrom her seatbelt.She told the outlet that shewas experiencing pain from thecrash and felt sympathy for CuevasJr.'s family.

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