HIGHLAND – Three law enforcement officers were injured when an unlicensed Highland man slammed into them and their parked patrol vehicles.
On Wednesday, May 23, 2018, at around 1:15 p.m deputies responded to the 7400 block of Rogers Lane in the City of Highland for the report of a shooting. Warm Springs Elementary School was placed on lockdown as a precaution since the incident was reported to be in close proximity to the school. Deputies and investigators arrived at the scene and determined that one or two unknown suspects fired a gun with an unknown target and for unknown reasons. No one was injured as a result of the shooting.
The suspect fled the scene in a dark-colored sports utility vehicle and the suspects are still, yet to be identified. Deputies and investigators remained on scene investigating the incident near a parked patrol vehicle. Just as the prepared to leave, Hugo Pineda Jr., 20, of Highland, was driving a black 2018 Nissan Sentra north on Rogers Lane veering into one of the patrol vehicles. The impact caused the Nissan to flip and strike another parked patrol vehicle. Both of the vehicles were San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department vehicles. During the collision three law enforcement officers;  a patrol sergeant, a patrol deputy, and a district attorney’s investigator supervisor who were standing next to one of the emergency vehicles were struck.
All three suffered injuries, the patrol sergeant airlifted from the scene and the other two were transported by ground ambulance to a trauma center. All three are suffering from non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition. The collision remains under investigation by the Region 1 Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT). Pineda did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the collision. It was determined that Pineda did not have a driver’s license.
