Sheriff Gives Statement Following Controversial Ending To High Speed Motorcycle Chase

It started with a domestic violence call. It ended with a high-speed chase, a brutal crash, and a decorated deputy dead.

A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Monday afternoon after responding to a report of an armed man threatening a woman in Rancho Cucamonga. What followed was a chaotic chain of events — and it was all captured on camera from the skies above Los Angeles.

Authorities say the man opened fire on deputies shortly after they arrived. One of those bullets struck Deputy Andrew Nunez in the head. He was rushed to the hospital, but doctors could not save him. Nunez, a six-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, was pronounced dead at around 1 p.m.

The suspect, identified only as a Hispanic male in initial reports, fled the scene on a motorcycle and hit speeds of up to 170 miles per hour on the 210 Freeway. Video from FOX 11’s helicopter shows him weaving through traffic, narrowly avoiding cars, even taking his hands off the handlebars to adjust a backpack.

Then came the crash.

As the motorcycle barreled down the freeway, it collided with a sedan, launching the suspect into the air. He landed hard and slid across the pavement. The bike tumbled behind him, coming within inches of his head. For a few seconds, it was unclear if he would survive.

What viewers didn’t immediately know: the driver of the car that hit him was an off-duty narcotics officer, according to law enforcement. They later described it as a “legal intervention.”

Once down, officers swarmed the suspect, guns drawn, then quickly moved to provide first aid. A gun was seen lying on the pavement near him, suggesting he may have still been armed during the pursuit.

Nearby, another scene was unfolding — one harder to watch. Aerial footage showed shattered glass from a patrol car window, and what appeared to be a blood-soaked police vest lying in the street. That vest belonged to Deputy Nunez.