A Riverside County Sheriff's deputy was struck by a passing vehicle while conducting a traffic stop near Winchester and Murrieta Hot Springs roads in Murrieta on Wednesday morning, and the driver who hit him tried to flee before being caught by California Highway Patrol officers. The crash was reported at 8:51 a.m., according to Sgt. Robert Martinez of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, who said the deputy was outside his patrol vehicle at the time of the collision.
The driver who struck the deputy was behind the wheel of a white Toyota Tacoma and fled the scene in a hit-and-run, according to Patch. The driver was ultimately arrested on-scene by California Highway Patrol officers shortly after the crash, the outlet reported. As MyNewsLA first reported, the deputy's name has not been released, and Martinez said the deputy had stable vital signs when he was taken to the hospital.
The California Highway Patrol's Temecula office assumed primary responsibility for investigating the collision, per the same Patch account, while the injured deputy was transported for emergency treatment to Inland Valley Hospital in Wildomar. That facility is Southwest Riverside County's only designated Level II Trauma Center, the outlet has separately reported.
Winchester Road Shut Down for Hours
Authorities implemented an extensive multi-hour closure of northbound Winchester Road between Murrieta Hot Springs Road and Robert Trent Jones Parkway while crash reconstruction teams processed the scene, the report notes. The closure disrupted traffic through the busy Murrieta corridor for much of the morning as investigators worked to piece together how the collision unfolded.
The deputy is assigned to the Southwest Sheriff's Station in Murrieta, which provides law enforcement services for contract cities including Temecula and multiple unincorporated communities across Southwest Riverside County, including French Valley, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. The investigation into the crash remains ongoing, Martinez said.
State Law Requires Drivers to Move Over for Stopped Vehicles
California's Move Over law, codified under Vehicle Code Section 21809, requires drivers approaching a stationary emergency vehicle displaying flashing lights to shift a lane away if it's safe to do so, or slow down. That statutory requirement was expanded under Assembly Bill 390 in January 2026 to include any stopped vehicle displaying hazard lights, according to Justia.
Violating the Move Over law is an infraction carrying a fine of approximately $238 and one DMV driving point. Leaving the scene of a collision that results in injury can be charged as either a misdemeanor or felony under California Vehicle Code Section 20001, and a felony conviction may carry two, three, or four years in state prison in some circumstances, according to information relayed by Hoodline.
A Persistent Danger for Officers on the Roadside
Motor vehicle incidents and pedestrian officers struck by passing vehicles are among the dangers officers face nationwide. The Murrieta crash underscores the persistent danger officers face during roadside stops. No further details on the suspect driver's identity or potential charges have been released, and it remains unclear whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.
No further details on the suspect driver's identity or potential charges have been released, and it remains unclear whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash. The investigation remains active as CHP's Temecula office continues to piece together the sequence of events that left a Southwest Station deputy hospitalized during what began as a routine traffic stop.
