A Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy was killed in an on-duty collision on the 91 Freeway on Wednesday morning, authorities confirmed, marking at least the fifth fatality in just over three years for the department.
Sheriff Chad Bianco announced with “immense sadness and a heavy heart” that Deputy Timothy Corlew, assigned to the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s station, succumbed to injuries from the crash.
The sheriff’s office provided no more information or immediate response to questions.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, which took place on the westbound 91 Freeway at La Sierra Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. The exit has been closed indefinitely due to the investigation.
Video from the scene showed a mangled, upside down sheriff’s motorcycle near the center divider about 30 yards away from a Toyota sedan, which was smashed from the rear.
The deputy’s equipment was strewn across the freeway.
The CHP said it would release more information sometime Wednesday afternoon.
Corlew’s death is one of three vehicle fatalities for the department since 2023 and five overall deaths since December 2022.
In May 2023, 26-year-old deputy Brett Harris died a week after being critically injured in a car crash in San Jacinto. Harris collided with a Nissan Maxima sedan and hit a light pole.
In April 2023, 23-year-old Deputy Andrew Davidson died when his Yamaha motorcycle crashed with a Toyota Camry in Riverside. Davidson was off duty at the time.
Shootings led to two previous deaths.
Deputy Darnell Calhoun, 30, was shot to death Jan. 13, 2023, while responding to a domestic violence call in the unincorporated community of Lakeland Village. The slaying happened one week after the funeral of Deputy Isaiah Cordero, 32, who was fatally shot Dec. 29, 2022, during a traffic stop in Jurupa Valley.
Cordero was the first Riverside County deputy killed in the line of duty since 2003.
This is a developing story.
