A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy died Thursday afternoon after being shot in Jurupa Valley during a traffic stop, according to a law enforcement source.
The gunman then led police on a high-speed chase on Interstate 15 that involved more than two dozen police vehicles and ended in a gun battle. A law enforcement source said the suspect died.
The pickup truck driven by the gunman was rammed and pinned by a SWAT armored vehicle on the side of the 15. TV coverage showed multiple gunshot holes in the windshield.
According to authorities, the gunman was spotted by an off-duty officer after the shooting, which led to a pursuit on two freeways by law enforcement. As many as 30 police vehicles followed the gunman’s truck south on the 15 to Norco. After a spike strip took out the tires of the truck, SWAT officers exchanged gunfire with the gunman inside the disabled truck.
The southbound 15 was shut down because of large numbers of police vehicles on the highway where the pursuit ended. The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert for the southbound 15 at Limonite Avenue in Eastvale.
The deputy was pronounced dead at Riverside Community Hospital after he was taken there from the shooting scene, a law enforcement source told the Los Angeles Times.
Deputies wheeled his coffin past ranks of saluting law enforcement officials and into a hearse. A procession of sheriff’s cruisers escorted the deputy’s body to the county coroner’s bureau, passing under a large U.S. flag that hung off a fire department ladder truck.
Black bands started appearing on law enforcement badges across Southern California on Thursday evening as news of the fatal shooting spread.
Riverside County deputies sent a message among their ranks. A copy obtained by The Times reads: “Our fallen hero just graduated from motor school a few months ago. He was shot and murdered on a traffic stop. ... (The suspect) fled but was observed by an off-duty officer who communicated his location. A pursuit ensued” and the suspect was killed. The message closed with, “Rest easy deputy.”
The shooting was reported in the 3900 block of Golden West Avenue around 2:44 p.m., according to social media posts from the Sheriff’s Department. Authorities advised the public to stay away from the area.
Investigators are not yet sure what happened during the traffic stop leading up to the shooting, according to a high-ranking law enforcement source.
The deputy’s identity has not been released. He is the 26th Riverside County sheriff’s deputy to die in the line of duty, according to department records.
