Funeral for Victorville sheriff's deputy killed in pursuit crash takes place Thursday

Funeral services are taking place Thursday for San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy Hector Cuevas Jr., who was killed during a Victorville high speed pursuit on March 17.

A procession will carry Cuevas' body from a San Bernardino mortuary to the Ontario Convention Center for the 11 a.m. service, where family and invited guests are to attend.

Cuevas lost his life during an on-duty fatal traffic collision. He was chasing a stolen vehicle but collided with another car at an intersection and then crashed into a light pole.

The 36-year-old law enforcement veteran served at the Victorville City Sheriff's Station for the last three years, holding assignments on patrol and on the gang team.

The sheriff's department said Cuevas loved what he chose as his profession. Sheriff Shannon Dicus said earlier that family members and fellow law enforcement described Cuevas as a devout family man and a "cop's cop who has the ability to go between dealing with the most hardcore gang member to turning around and being able to talk to a child and make sure that they felt safe and knew they were protected."

Cuevas leaves behind his wife, two children, his parents and two siblings.

"The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department was blessed to have such an amazing individual as a part of our family. He will be missed, but never forgotten, as he impacted all of us," the department wrote in a statement.

Thursday's 11 a.m. service will be livestreamed on the sheriff's department's YouTube page.

The suspect behind the wheel of the car that Deputy Cuevas was following, Ryan Dwayne Turner Jr., 22 of San Bernardino, was arrested for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and evading a peace officer causing death or serious injury.