A burial service was performed in honor of a sheriff’s officer from San Bernardino County who passed away as a result of a high-speed pursuit accident that occurred in Victorville.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, loved ones and coworkers gathered at the Ontario Convention Center to celebrate the life of Hector Cuevas Jr., who was 36 years old.
“He had an extraordinary talent for inspiring those around him, never showing judgment or exclusion,” said Liz Cuevas, Hector’s mother. “He never excluded or displayed judgment.”
According to Jordan Bell, an officer with the Ontario Police Department, “To know Hector is to know how deeply he loved his wife, Mia, and how much he adored his children, Noel and Kyro.”
On the 17th of March, Hector made an attempt to pull over a suspect who was operating a car that had been stolen.
As a result of the suspect, Ryan Dwayne Turner Jr., who is 22 years old, refusing to yield, Cuevas was able to pursue him. According to the authorities, Turner drove recklessly and ran red lights during the pursuit, which eventually reached speeds of more than one hundred miles per hour.
A collision between Hector and a car that was not involved occurred at the intersection of El Evado Road and Seneca Road just before 11 o’clock in the morning.
The powerful hit caused his SUV to be split in half and brought down power lines in the surrounding area. At the site, Hector was certified as having passed away.
After being involved in a collision with Hector, a woman who was in the sedan was taken to the hospital for treatment and managed to survive.
Turner, who was the suspect, was taken into custody and charged with murder in the second degree; he entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.
According to the documents filed with the court, Turner’s criminal past includes multiple arrests and convictions for the theft of automobiles.
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In 2024, he was sentenced to prison for stealing a vehicle in Rialto and leading the police on a pursuit that reached speeds of more than 90 miles per hour before it ended in a collision.
During a press conference held on March 19, the District Attorney for San Bernardino County, Jason Anderson, stated that “this is not the first time that Mr. Turner has fled when he has been caught with a stolen car.”
