Deputy Strikes, Kills Pedestrian Near March Air Reserve Base

MORENO VALLEY, CA— A pedestrian was fatally struck Thursday by a Riverside County sheriff's patrol deputy driving in the vicinity of March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley.

The fatality occurred about 4 a.m. in the area of Cactus Avenue and Heacock Street, roughly a block from the base's east entrance, according to the California Highway Patrol and the sheriff's department.

"The deputy was not operating his vehicle in an emergency response mode at the time of the collision," according to a sheriff's statement.

Preliminary information indicated that the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, was walking on Cactus where there is no marked crosswalk and was hit by the patrol vehicle, which is an SUV.

"Deputies immediately rendered medical aid to the pedestrian until paramedics arrived," the sheriff's department stated. "Paramedics pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene."

The deputy was not injured.

The CHP is handling the investigation under a long-standing sheriff's policy that tasks the agency with overseeing independent evaluations whenever sheriff's vehicles are involved in traffic-related incidents involving property damage, injuries or deaths.