The fatal shooting of San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Nunez and the subsequent 150-mile-per-hour motorcycle chase that unfolded live on television have left the community reeling, law enforcement officials defending the actions taken, and the nation gripped by the sheer intensity of the unfolding drama. The sequence of events—beginning with a domestic violence call, escalating into a homicide, and culminating in a televised high-speed pursuit—has raised questions about use of force, off-duty intervention, and the emotional toll within police ranks.
What began as a routine response to a domestic disturbance in Rancho Cucamonga on Monday ended in the tragic death of a young deputy, the capture of a fleeing suspect, and renewed discussion of the inherent dangers that law enforcement officers face daily. The suspect, identified as 47-year-old Angelo Jose Saldivar, is expected to face charges in the killing of Deputy Nunez.
Authorities say that moments before the chase, Angelo Jose Saldivar shot and killed Andrew Nunez, then fled the scene on a motorcycle, setting off a pursuit that would span multiple cities and ultimately end when an off-duty deputy deliberately rammed Saldivar’s bike with his Toyota Camry. That dramatic collision—captured by television helicopters and broadcast live—ended the pursuit but also sparked intense public scrutiny of law enforcement procedures.
A Routine Call Turns Deadly
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were dispatched around 12:37 p.m. to a condominium on Hollyhock Drive in Rancho Cucamonga following a domestic violence report involving a man allegedly threatening a woman with a gun. When deputies arrived, the situation escalated almost immediately. Authorities say Saldivar opened fire on the responding deputies without warning, striking 28-year-old Deputy Andrew Nunez in the head. Despite immediate medical efforts from his fellow deputies, Nunez succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Nunez, a six-year veteran of the department, leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter and a pregnant wife. Sheriff Shannon Dicus described Nunez as “a wonderful father and a dedicated public servant,” expressing the department’s profound grief during a news conference. That evening, a solemn procession of law enforcement officers and firefighters lined the walkway outside Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to pay their respects as Nunez’s body was carried from the building.
The motorcade that followed, escorting him to the county coroner’s office, was a somber display of solidarity from the law enforcement community. Investigators later confirmed that Saldivar and his wife had finalized a divorce just two months earlier, in August, a detail that adds a painful personal dimension to the domestic disturbance that set the tragedy in motion. Sheriff’s officials have not yet provided further details about the altercation that prompted the emergency call, but court records indicate there may have been a history of turmoil leading up to the deadly encounter.
You can ride at 150mph, but the Law always catches up with you.
— Tony 🇬🇧 (@TonyL_01) October 28, 2025
The suspect shot in the head and killed San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Nunez, who left behind his pregnant wife and their 2-year-old daughter.
Mercy?
No mercy.
Death penalty. pic.twitter.com/qbP8YjW8hF
Following the shooting, Saldivar fled the scene on his motorcycle, traveling east along the 210 Freeway at extraordinary speeds. At times reaching nearly 150 miles per hour, he weaved dangerously through traffic, endangering countless motorists in his bid to escape. The pursuit quickly drew the attention of television news helicopters, which began broadcasting the chase live to audiences across Southern California.
A 150-MPH Pursuit Captivates Viewers and Ends in Violence
The high-speed pursuit that followed was both breathtaking and horrifying. Viewers tuning in watched as Saldivar, still armed, eluded police units pursuing from multiple directions. At one point, he lifted both hands off his handlebars and appeared to manipulate a handgun—an act that underscored the imminent threat he posed not only to officers but to anyone in his path. Despite the best efforts of pursuing motorcycle officers and highway patrol units, Saldivar maintained a significant lead.
The chase took a shocking turn when a gray Toyota Camry abruptly entered Saldivar’s path on the freeway. The motorcyclist collided with the car at tremendous speed, flipping over the handlebars and tumbling roughly ten feet through the air before crashing to the pavement. The impact was so severe that onlookers initially feared he had been killed instantly.
As later emerged, the driver of the Camry was not a random motorist but a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy—off duty at the time—who had learned of the pursuit, reactivated his duty status, and made the split-second decision to intervene. Law enforcement officials have not yet released his name, but multiple sources confirm that he is a narcotics deputy with the department.
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The deputy’s decision to deliberately collide with the fleeing motorcyclist was an extraordinary one, but legal experts have largely agreed that it will likely be deemed justified under existing law. Greg Meyer, a former Los Angeles Police Department captain and nationally recognized use-of-force expert, explained that officers are authorized to use deadly force when a suspect poses an imminent threat to life. “In this case, they could have shot or used whatever means necessary to prevent further injury or loss of life without harming others,” Meyer said.
The maneuver brought the pursuit to an abrupt and violent conclusion. Television footage showed Angelo Jose Saldivar sitting up on the roadway shortly after the crash, visibly dazed and bloodied. He was quickly taken into custody and airlifted to a nearby hospital, where officials later confirmed that he was in stable condition as of Tuesday morning.
The crash occurred near Campus Avenue in Upland, roughly 20 miles from where the original shooting had taken place. Authorities subsequently closed portions of the freeway for several hours as investigators processed the scene and recovered evidence, including the firearm believed to have been used in the killing of Deputy Andrew Nunez.
Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Deadly Force
The off-duty deputy’s decision to intervene—particularly in such a high-risk and unconventional way—has sparked discussion among legal scholars and law enforcement professionals. While the act itself was unusual, experts emphasize that it falls within the framework of established Supreme Court precedent regarding the use of deadly force during pursuits.
In Scott v. Harris (2007), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Georgia deputy who ended a high-speed chase by forcing the fleeing suspect’s vehicle off the road, causing a crash that left the suspect paralyzed. The Court determined that the deputy’s actions were reasonable under the Fourth Amendment because the fleeing driver posed an immediate threat to the public. That decision has since served as a key reference point in cases involving police pursuits.
Ed Obayashi, a Modoc County sheriff’s deputy and legal advisor to law enforcement agencies across California, described Monday’s events as “highly unusual” but legally defensible. “Deadly force is appropriate when the subject presents an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to officers or others,” Obayashi said, noting that Saldivar’s alleged killing of a deputy and his reckless flight at 150 miles per hour clearly met that threshold. “No one is going to lose sleep over what happened here at the conclusion of this chase, given what had unfolded before.”
The question of how the off-duty deputy came to be involved remains open. Many officers, as experts explain, carry their radios even while off duty and will reengage when nearby emergencies unfold. In this case, it appears the deputy heard the unfolding pursuit and made the decision to act when the chase entered his vicinity. Sheriff’s officials have not yet stated whether an internal review of the use of force is underway, though such investigations are standard in incidents involving serious injury or death.
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Seth Stoughton, a former police officer and now a law professor at the University of South Carolina, said the deputy’s intervention will likely be deemed “objectively reasonable” under both department policy and case law. “The fact that the subject had already shot an officer and was fleeing in a way that endangered other motorists is likely to meet that standard,” Stoughton said.
Still, the incident underscores the inherent tension between rapid, life-or-death decision-making and the broader questions of oversight that follow. While many in the law enforcement community view the deputy’s actions as heroic, others see it as a reminder of the fine line between necessary force and excessive risk. What cannot be disputed is that the maneuver likely prevented further tragedy on the freeway, where Angelo Jose Saldivar’s erratic, armed flight could easily have claimed additional lives.
Deputy Andrew Nunez’s death marks yet another devastating loss for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which has faced multiple line-of-duty fatalities in recent years. “We’re embedded in sorrow,” Sheriff Dicus said at a press briefing. “Unfortunately for our department, this has happened way too often.” The sheriff’s remarks reflect both grief and exhaustion among the ranks, as officers once again find themselves mourning a colleague taken far too soon.
As the department prepares funeral arrangements for Andrew Nunez, the focus now turns to the prosecution of Angelo Jose Saldivar. Prosecutors are expected to file murder charges in the coming days, along with additional counts related to the shooting, flight, and reckless endangerment. Meanwhile, the community of Rancho Cucamonga has begun organizing vigils to honor Nunez’s memory and support his family.
In the broader sense, the events of Monday have reignited public awareness of the dangers that domestic violence calls often pose for law enforcement. Studies consistently show that such calls rank among the most unpredictable and deadly situations officers face. What began as a call for help from a woman in distress ended with the loss of a young deputy’s life, the destruction of two families, and a community left in mourning.
The televised pursuit, shocking in its speed and violence, served as a grim visual reminder of the unpredictable consequences that can follow a single moment of violence. For many viewers, the image of the motorcyclist colliding with the Camry and tumbling through the air will linger—a chaotic end to a tragedy that began behind closed doors in a quiet condominium complex. For those who knew Deputy Andrew Nunez, however, the lasting memory will be of a devoted husband, father, and officer who gave his life in the line of duty, protecting others from harm.