Funeral arrangements were pending Thursday for a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy killed in a collision involving his patrol motorcycle and a sedan stopped in traffic on the Riverside (91) Freeway.
Deputy Timothy Corlew, 40, was fatally injured about 5:35 a.m. Wednesday on the westbound 91 at La Sierra Avenue in Riverside, according to the California Highway Patrol.
“It is with profound sadness that Jennifer and I extend our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Deputy Corlew,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “His unwavering commitment to protecting and serving the community exemplifies the very best of what it means to be a public servant. We are forever grateful for his service and will never forget his sacrifice.”
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus released a statement, saying “Our hearts are with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department as they mourn this tragic loss.”
“We send our deepest condolences during this difficult time,” Dicus said.
From the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department: “Our condolences go out to our brothers and sisters at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office over the death of Deputy Corlew. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones.”
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco posted a brief statement via social media Wednesday, saying “with immense sadness and a heavy heart, I must report the sheriff’s office has lost another deputy in a line-of-duty death.”
CHP Inland Empire Division spokesman Officer Dan Olivas said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon that Corlew was traveling in the HOV lane at an unconfirmed speed when he encountered “traffic ahead … stopped across all lanes.”
“For reasons still under investigation, the deputy collided with the rear of a Toyota (Lexus), and he was ejected from his motorcycle onto a Hyundai sedan,” Olivas said.
Riverside Fire Department paramedics reached the location within minutes and attempted life-saving measures, after which Corlew was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead moments later, according to Olivas.
He said the Lexus driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to the same hospital for treatment. The occupant of the Hyundai was not hurt.
The CHP’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team is piecing together the details of what happened.
The agency’s Riverside office spokesman, Officer Javier Navarro, told City News Service that it was “unlikely any criminal charges will be coming out of this down the road, based on what we know right now.”
Officials said Corlew was hired in February 2016, and following his graduation from the sheriff’s public safety academy later that year, he was assigned bailiff duties in the court system. He was transferred to patrol operations at the Jurupa Valley station in August 2019. Corlew completed Motor School in June 2022 and deployed as a motorcycle patrolman immediately afterward.
“We extend our deepest sympathy to the family of Deputy Timothy Corlew,” according to a sheriff’s department statement. “Please continue to pray for his wife, two sons and the men and women of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office as we grieve this loss.”
The department’s last line-of-duty death occurred in May 2023, when 27-year-old Deputy Brett Michael Harris was responding to a call for backup, going through a San Jacinto intersection, when his patrol SUV was side-impacted by a sedan, resulting in fatal injuries to the lawman. The other driver suffered minor injuries.
His was the third in a string of on-duty deaths that occurred over a roughly four-month span. Preceding him was 30-year-old Deputy Darnell Calhoun, who was gunned down in January 2023 in an alleged ambush perpetrated by a felon involved in a domestic violence incident in Lakeland Village.
Prior to that, on Dec. 29, 2022, 32-year-old Deputy Isaiah Albert Cordero, a motor patrolman, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Jurupa Valley by a felon who had been granted early release from jail.