An armed suicidal man was killed this week when he slammed head-on into three sheriff’s patrol cars while drunkenly driving 100 miles per hour, according to law enforcement officials.
The crash happened in the Stanislaus County community of Denair, which is located approximately two hours east of San Francisco and Oakland.
“On Monday, June 14, at about 7:45 p.m., dispatch received a call from a female caller in the 4300 block of Hickman Road in Denair stating her husband was suicidal and wanted to harm himself with a knife,” the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office stated. “Deputies asked for assistance from our helicopter to provide aerial assistance and relay updates. Deputies determined the man was 39-year-old Denair resident, Javier Cueto-Aldaz.”
Because of the rural nature of the location, the sheriff’s office dispatched its chopper to investigate the incident.
“Our helicopter identified a person matching the description outside of his home on Hickman Rd.,” the sheriff’s office stated. “Aldaz appeared to be armed with a black rifle. Patrol deputies established a command post from a safe, contained distance about one mile down the road. Traffic was restricted to keep bystanders out of the area.”
Deputies said they immediately began de-escalation tactics to persuade Cueto-Aldaz to surrender.
“To avoid an armed confrontation with someone possibly possessing a handgun, long-gun rifle, and a knife, we continued with negotiations,” the sheriff’s office continued. “Aldaz was drinking alcohol walking in and out of his home and seen entering parked cars on the property. Every effort was made to preserve public safety and avert an unnecessary use-of-force situation.
Occupants and nearby residents were asked to evacuate. Our deputies reached Aldaz on the telephone to de-escalate and negotiate a peaceful resolution. Aldaz engaged in an open dialogue with a trained negotiator but did not surrender peacefully.”
That’s when the situation took a violent turn.
“Negotiations ended when Aldaz said he was prepared to end his life,” the sheriff’s office stated. “He left his home driving a pickup truck north on Hickman Road at speeds over 100 miles-per-hour towards our command post of deputies, patrol cars, and armored SWAT vehicle. Fortunately, deputies were able to run to safety in a nearby orchard.”
“The pickup truck collided with three of our unoccupied patrol cars, catching fire and overturned in the nearby orchard,” according to the statement. “Deputies rushed to help Aldaz and pulled him from the burning truck and began rendering medical aid. Paramedics assumed treatment for transport to a local area hospital where Aldaz later died from his injuries.”
Sheriff’s officials stated the incident was being investigated by the California Highway Patrol, which looks into traffic accidents on unincorporated county roads in California.
The sheriff’s office also said they were reviewing deputies’ body-worn cameras and footage from its helicopter. The agency said it would release video footage of the incident.
“Members of the community are urged to contact Detective Summerton at 209-525-7032 if they have witness information to share,” according to the agency. “Tipsters can choose to remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-866-602-7463 or download the P3 Tip application for your mobile device. Callers could be eligible for a cash reward in certain instances.”