Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputy killed in crash

RIVERBANK — A Stanislaus County sheriff ’s deputy died in a single-vehicle crash in Riverbank Sunday night.

According to a press release issued early Monday by the sheriff ’s department, deputy Antonio “Tony” Hinostroza, 45, died after his patrol car hit a power pole at Terminal Avenue and Claribel Road just before 10 p.m. Hinostroza, who was assigned to the department’s main office, was responding to help deputies in Riverbank who were involved in a chase.

The call initially came in as a report of a driver passed out behind the wheel of a car at Oakdale Road and Patterson Road in Riverbank at 9:48 p.m., authorities said in the release.

When deputies arrived, the driver of the car, a silver Cadllac Escalade, drove away, leading deputies on a pursuit. Deputies put out a spike strip which disabled the Escalade at the intersection of Fine Avenue and Cambridge Court in Modesto.

The driver ran from the car and and began fighting with deputies, “forcing them to deploy a less-lethal bean bag to subdue him and take him into custody,” the release said.

At the same time, dispatchers started getting calls regarding a sheriff ’s patrol vehicle that had crashed into a power pole at Terminal and Claribel. Emergency responders rushed to the scene but Hinostroza died of his injuries.

The Escalade driver, Jonathan Carrillo-Gonzalez, 30, of Modesto, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, felony evasion, and resisting arrest.

According to the sheriff’s department, Camilo-Gonzalez’ license was suspended in June 2018 for driving under the influence, and he had at least three prior convictions for DUI in the past nine years.

Sheriff’s Deputy Royjinder Singh, a spokesman for the department, said the California Highway Patrol has been called to investigate. Both roads are closed in the area as the investigation continues.

Hinostroza was a 19-year veteran with the department who was hired in 1999.

“During his career, Deputy Hinostroza served as a patrol deputy, K9 handler, Gang Detective, SWAT team member, and Field Training Officer,” the news release said. “Hinostroza was a Police Explorer for Ceres Police Department from 1990 until 1992 when he enlisted to serve in the United States Marine Corps until 1996.

Hinostroza then worked as a reserve police officer and dispatcher for the city of Waterford before being hired by then-Sheriff Les Weidman.”

Hinostroza is survived by one adult son.

He is the second Stanislaus County Sheriff ’s Department deputy to die in a vehicle accident in the last 18 months.

In May 2017, Deputy Jason Garner was driving his patrol vehicle when it crashed in a wrecking yard on Crows Landing Road, landing on top of a Dumpster and caught fire on May 13, 2017. He and his passenger, CSO Raschel Johnson, died from blunt force trauma, said CHP Officer Tom Olsen.

Olsen said a 14-month investigation by the CHPs Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team determined Garner was not at fault because he “suffered a health-related condition that rendered him incapable of cognitively controlling a motor vehicle.”

Garner’s patrol vehicle was traveling 89 mph when it went off the road.