The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office reported that one of its deputies assisting Riverbank Police Services in a vehicle pursuit was killed in a collision with a power pole at the intersection of Terminal Avenue and Claribel Road, on the outskirts of town.
Deputy Antonio “Tony” Hinostroza, 45, was killed in a vehicle collision just before 10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 25, just outside of Riverbank.
The office said that Deputy Hinostroza was a 19-year veteran with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.
Information provided by the department indicates that Deputy Hinostroza was hired as a deputy sheriff in January 1999. He was assigned to the patrol division out of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department main office.
During his career, Deputy Hinostroza served as a patrol deputy, K9 handler, Gang Detective, SWAT team member, and Field Training Officer. 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.
The deputy leaves behind one adult son.
The Sheriff’s Office reported that Riverbank Police Services deputies had been dispatched to the intersection of Oakdale Road and Patterson Road in Riverbank for a report of a driver of a silver Cadillac Escalade passed out behind the wheel at 9:48 p.m.
When deputies arrived, the driver of the Escalade sped off, leading deputies on a pursuit. Officers deployed spike strips on the Escalade which became disabled at the intersection of Fine Avenue and Cambridge Court in Modesto.
The driver fled from the vehicle and began fighting with deputies, forcing them to deploy a less-lethal bean bag to subdue him and take him into custody.
Dispatchers said that, during the incident, they began getting 9-1-1 calls of a Sheriff’s Department patrol vehicle crashed into a power pole at Terminal Avenue and Claribel Road.
CHP, Deputies, Ambulance and Fire personnel responded to the scene in an attempt to rescue Deputy Hinostroza, but he died of his injuries at the scene, according to the sheriff’s department report.
The driver of the Escalade was identified as Jonathan Carrillo-Gonzalez, 30, of Modesto. He was arrested for driving under the influence, felony evasion, and resisting arrest and booked at the Stanislaus County Jail. According to officers, the record shows that his license was suspended in June 2018 for DUI and he has had at least three prior convictions for DUI in the past nine years.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the collision.
