By Shawn Henry 
A Southern California manhunt erupted into a high-speed chase Monday after San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Nunez, 28, was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call in Rancho Cucamonga. The suspected gunman fled the scene on a motorcycle, reaching speeds of more than 150 mph before being deliberately knocked off his bike by an off-duty deputy in a dramatic freeway intervention caught on camera.
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Authorities say the deadly encounter began around 12:40 p.m., when deputies were called to the 12300 block of Hollyhock Drive after reports that a man was threatening a woman with a gun. Moments after arriving, Nunez — a six-year veteran of the department, husband, and father of a 2-year-old daughter with another child on the way — was shot in the head. He was rushed by helicopter to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
“This department is embedded in sorrow,” said Sheriff Shannon D. Dicus, who called the loss of Nunez “devastating.” Dicus noted it was the 81st shooting involving deputies since he became sheriff in 2022, highlighting what he described as “a tremendous amount of violence out there.”
After the shooting, the suspect took off on a motorcycle, leading a multi-agency pursuit across San Bernardino County and onto the 210 Freeway. At one point, the rider narrowly avoided crashing into a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer during the chase.
The pursuit came to an explosive end around 1:35 p.m. in Upland, when an off-duty deputy driving an unmarked Toyota Camry intentionally struck the fleeing motorcyclist, sending him tumbling across the asphalt. Video captured by news helicopters shows the suspect flipping over his handlebars before crashing hard onto the pavement.
Sheriff Dicus later described the maneuver as a “legal intervention” that prevented further danger to the public. The suspect was airlifted to a hospital in stable condition and is expected to face murder charges upon release, officials said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered flags at the State Capitol lowered to half-staff, honoring Deputy Nunez’s sacrifice. “His courage, compassion, and dedication to protecting others reflect the finest traditions of law enforcement,” Newsom said in a statement.
The investigation remains ongoing, with both the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team and the District Attorney’s Office reviewing the incident that left one deputy dead and a suspect critically injured after one of the year’s most intense pursuits.
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