San Bernardino sheriff's deputy shot and killed in Rancho Cucamonga, suspect injured after pursuit crash
A deputy with the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department was shot and killed by a man while responding to an alleged domestic violence incident in Rancho Cucamonga on Monday, authorities confirmed.
The deputy was identified as 6-year department veteran Andrew Nunez. San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said during a news conference Monday afternoon that Nunez is survived by his 2-year-old daughter and his wife, who is pregnant.
"Deputy Nunez served with unwavering commitment, courage, and deep compassion for the community he vowed to protect," said a statement from SBSD. "His bravery and sacrifice reflect a life dedicated to safeguarding others, even at the greatest cost. Such devotion will remain forever etched in our hearts."
The suspect led authorities on a pursuit after the shooting, eventually crashing on the 210 Freeway in Upland. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment, although his condition remained unknown as of Monday afternoon.
The incident was first reported at about 12:37 p.m. on the 12300 block of Hollycock in Rancho Cucamonga, when deputies responded to reports of a man threatening a woman, the department confirmed.
The man allegedly fired his weapon at deputies immediately upon their arrival at 12:42 p.m. A deputy, later identified as Nunez, was struck in the head by the gunfire and airlifted to a local hospital.
The suspect fled the scene on a motorcycle, reaching speeds approaching 200 miles per hour, Dicus said. He drove aggressively on the eastbound lanes of the 210 Freeway, at times crossing over to the westbound lanes in the wrong direction on side streets.
At 1:35 p.m., while reaching into a backpack, he collided with the back of a vehicle on the 210 Freeway in Ontario, near Campus Avenue and was ejected from the bike.
Dicus later stated that the vehicle's driver was an off-duty deputy who put himself on duty and "conducted a legal intervention by hitting the suspect on a motorcycle."
The suspect, who remains unidentified publicly, is in a local hospital in stable condition, according to Dicus
Aerial footage showed a gun on the ground near the scene. It's not clear if that's the object the suspect was reaching for as he crashed.
According to a Sigalert, all eastbound lanes of the 210 were blocked in the area in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said his office is looking at the case as murder of a peace officer, although the office will wait to make a charging decision until the suspect is out of the hospital. Dicus said additional details into the alleged domestic violence situation involving the suspect will be released in the coming days.