As the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department mourns the loss of Deputy Hector Cuevas Jr. in a crash during a pursuit in Victorville, a neighboring law enforcement agency claims the man who was being sought “has a history of fleeing from law enforcement and putting the public’s safety at risk” and believes he should have still been behind bars.
The Rialto Police Department explained in a press release that Ryan Turner, a 22-year-old man from San Bernardino, “has an extensive criminal arrest history” and led a high-speed pursuit that also resulted in a collision on Jan. 29, 2024.
Ryan Turner is shown in an undated photo provided by the Rialto Police Department. 
A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy was involved in a serious crash near Victorville on March 17, 2025. (KTLA) 
A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy was involved in a serious crash near Victorville on March 17, 2025. (KTLA) 
A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy was involved in a serious crash near Victorville on March 17, 2025. (KTLA)
After that pursuit, Turner pleaded no contest to a charge of grand theft auto, resulting in a 16-month prison sentence.
He received credit for time served in county jails, however, and Turner was released after only eight months, something Rialto Police Chief Mark Kling criticized in the wake of Cuevas’ death.
Noting that “our hearts are broken for the deputy’s family,” Kling said “the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department should not be preparing to bury one of their own.”
“Their loss is law enforcement’s loss,” said Kling. “Ryan Turner’s actions speak loudly that he has a habitual pattern of fleeing law enforcement because he fears no consequences.”
