SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Highway Patrol is investigating after an accident involving an on-duty Sacramento police detective left two people dead on Interstate 5 Tuesday morning.
According to a news release, the accident happened around 6:15 a.m. on southbound I-5 at the Sutterville Road on-ramp.
CHP says a white Dodge pickup truck became disabled and pulled over on the right-hand shoulder. Then, another person arrived at the scene and parked a maroon Toyota SUV on the left shoulder of the on-ramp.
Both drivers were standing on the left side of the pickup truck when — for an unknown reason — an on-duty Sacramento Police Department detective driving an unmarked Ford Fusion on southbound I-5 rear-ended the truck, which hit both drivers.
Upon arrival, CHP South Sacramento units were told one of the pedestrians died. The second was pronounced dead while being taken to the hospital.
They were identified by the coroner's office as 33-year-old Juan Carlos Rodriguez and 32-year-old Lionel Rodriguez.
"We understand that there are many questions surrounding this incident. While we await those answers, our thoughts are with the families of the deceased individuals from this tragic event," the Sacramento Police Department wrote in a Tweet.
The Sacramento Police Department also provided the following statement to ABC10 regarding the collision.
"As a department, any incident involving our officers that results in serious injury or death is thoroughly reviewed at multiple levels. Specific to vehicle collisions, an accident review committee routinely reviews the facts of officer-involved collisions for policy violations, training, and safety issues. We recognize the tragic nature of these types of incidents and the impact they have on the involved parties as well as the community. We remain committed to fully cooperating with this investigation as it moves forward."
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