Vigil honors San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy killed in violent pursuit crash

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- A vigil was held Wednesday night in honor of a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy who died in a violent crash during a pursuit of a stolen vehicle in Victorville.

Deputy Hector Cuevas Jr., 36, died during a stolen-car chase Monday in Victorville when he crashed into a bystander vehicle and then slammed into a light pole.

"He sacrificed -- he was the epitome of what that is, of sacrifice for his community, for his brothers and for his family," Cuevas's friend Gabriel Cannon said in a eulogy.

The suspect that Deputy Cuevas was chasing, 22-year-old Ryan Turner, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. The San Bernardino County district attorney's office later announced charges against Turner for murder, evading an officer and driving or taking a vehicle without consent.

The deadly chain of events unfolded Monday when Turner took off in a stolen vehicle, leading deputies on a dangerous high-speed chase, investigators said.

"At speeds over 100 miles an hour that included running at least four red lights, Deputy Cuevas was involved in his job duties and assisting with a call of a stolen vehicle," said San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson.

Cuevas leaves behind two young children. He had spent three years serving and protecting the people of San Bernardino County, but in an instant, his watch ended.

After the fatal crash, Cuevas was honored by a procession of law-enforcement vehicles that escorted his body from the coroner's office to a funeral home.

"He was a very hard-charging, ambitious young man," Chief Darren Goodman of the San Bernardino Police Department said at the vigil. Goodman had previously hired Cuevas when the police chief was head of the Upland Police Department.

The deputy was described as a devoted family man and by his law enforcement partners as a "cop's cop."

Prosecutors filed a "Watson murder" charge, a severe penalty under California law reserved for those who repeatedly commit life-threatening crimes despite prior convictions.

"This is not the first time that Mr. Turner has fled when he's been caught with a stolen car. In fact it seems as if each time it is what occurs that certainly factored into the idea that this is a murder case," said Anderson.

According to the Rialto Police Department, Turner has previously been arrested for evading police and causing another crash involving an officer. He also has a lengthy record for vehicular thefts.

That happened back on Jan. 29, 2024 when he led authorities on a chase in a reported stolen car. The chase started in Rialto and made its way into San Bernardino with Turner reaching speeds up to 90 mph, the department said.

While in custody at that time, officials say he tried to run away on foot while handcuffed before he was apprehended yet again.

Turner was booked for possession of a stolen vehicle, grand theft auto and felony evading. However, he entered a plea deal in Feb. 2024 and pleaded no contest to grand theft auto, and received a 16-month sentence in county prison.

He was released after serving only eight months of his sentence, the police department said.