Riverside County deputy killed in crash, department's third on-duty death in five months

Nathan Solis
·2 min read
INCIDENT DATE/TIME: 5-12-23, 2:18am LOCATION: State St and Esplanade Ave CITY: San Jacinto DETAILS: Riverside County Sheriff responded to a 2 car collision involving a deputy. The deputy involved in the crash was extricated and transported in critical condition The driver of the car involved was also extricated and transported in an unknown condition. The cause of the crash is under investigation. HANDLING AGENCIES: California highway Patrol
A law enforcement officer stands early Friday at the scene in San Jacinto where a crash left a Riverside County sheriff's deputy in critical condition. The deputy later died of his injuries. (OnScene.TV)

A 26-year-old Riverside County sheriff's deputy has died after he was critically injured in a car crash last week while on duty, authorities said.

Deputy Brett Harris was responding to a call for backup at 2:16 a.m. Friday when he collided with a Nissan Maxima sedan and hit a light pole in San Jacinto.

Harris was in critical condition when he was taken to a hospital, where he died Saturday from his injuries, Sheriff Chad Bianco said in a news release.

"Deputy Harris suffered major injuries as a result of the crash, including a catastrophic brain injury," Bianco said.

The 54-year-old driver of the other vehicle was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Another deputy was injured trying to pull Harris out of his patrol vehicle after the crash at West Esplanade Avenue and State Street, according to officials. He was treated and released from the hospital.

Harris was listed as an organ donor, and his family is working with the hospital to follow through on his request, Bianco said. Funeral arrangements are still pending.

Harris is survived by his wife, parents, twin sister and brother, officials said.

The crash comes months after the Riverside County Sheriff's Department mourned the loss of two deputies killed in the line of duty in two weeks.

Deputy Darnell Calhoun, 30, was fatally shot Jan. 13 while responding to a domestic violence call in the unincorporated community of Lakeland Village. The shooting came just one week after the funeral of Deputy Isaiah Cordero, 32, who was fatally shot Dec. 29 during a traffic stop in Jurupa Valley.

Cordero was the first Riverside County deputy killed in the line of duty since 2003, Bianco said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.