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The suspected DUI driver who ran a red light early Thursday and slammed into an on-duty San Bernardino police officer’s patrol vehicle, killing the veteran officer, was identified as a 27-year-old Fontana man.
Archie Green III was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol causing fatal injuries in the death of San Bernardino Police Department Officer Bryce Hanes, 40.
The crash was reported near the intersection of Fourth Street and Etiwanda Avenue in the Ontario area just before 2:15 a.m., according to Ontario Police Department Detective Bill Russell.
Hanes had just left the West Valley Detention Center after booking a prisoner, and he was headed southbound on Etiwanda in his black-and-white car when he was broadsided in the intersection by a driver traveling eastbound on Fourth, police said.
The force of the collision sent the patrol car spinning across the intersection and into a traffic signal. Green’s 2008 dark blue Dodge Charger went over a dirt embankment and came to rest in a field
A witness at the scene told police that Hanes had a green light, and the other driver ran through the red, according to Russell.
Hanes suffered major injuries in the crash and was transported to a Fontana hospital, where he died a short time later.
Green was also transported to an area hospital and treated for minor injuries.
He was later questioned at the police station and then arrested, according to an Ontario police news release.
San Bernardino Police Department Chief Jarrod Burguan stated during the news conference that Hanes, a Redlands resident, was a 12-year veteran of the department.
Hanes has “been an exemplary officer, completely dedicated to this city, to this agency,” Burguan said, adding he was a “very well-liked officer” who was “committed to his job.”
The police chief described the loss as a “tremendous” one to the agency.
Hanes leaves behind a wife, Alice, and and children Abigail, 12, Katie, 10, and Benjamin, 7, according to a statement from Gov. Jerry Brown’s office.
Brown said he and his wife Anne were “deeply saddened” by Hanes’ “tragic death.”
“We join all Californians in mourning his loss and vow to always remember his selfless service and sacrifice on behalf of his community,” Brown said.
The governor ordered Capitol flags flown at half-staff in Hanes’ honor.
The Ontario Police Department’s Traffic Division is leading the investigation.
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