An ex-deputy in Sacramento was fatally shot by his own men after stabbing his 11-year-old son to death and triggering a high-speed chase.
Marvin Morales, 40, was killed on December 2 after he brutally stabbed his son at their Elk Grove home, body cam footage showed.
Morales fled the scene as officers responded, resulting in a high-speed chase reaching speeds of over 100mph along Interstate 5, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The ex-deputy, who had been let go from the department in 2024 with a history of drug abuse, was treated as a high-risk counter due to his access to weapons and military background.
‘Just after 8.30am that morning, the sheriff’s office received information from the Elk Grove Police Department that they were investigating the stabbing of an eleven-year-old child,’ Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Amar Gandhi said.
The EGPD identified the suspect of the stabbing to be Morales, the father of the boy, according to Gandhi.
Morales had been home with his son and six-year-old daughter when their mother called law enforcement to report that security footage captured Morales assaulting the boy, Fox News reported.
At around 9.30am, an unmarked law enforcement vehicle traveling southbound on Interstate 5 identified Morales and was later joined by two K-9 units.
Marvin Morales, 40, was gunned down on December 2 after he brutally stabbed his son at their Elk Grove home
After a high-speed chase, Morales’ car veered off the highway and was briefly airborne before crashing into a tree
Morales was shot by officers after defying commands to put his hands up and walk toward them
‘Morales drove recklessly – swerving around other civilian vehicles on the shoulder and reached speeds of over 100mph,’ Gandhi continued.
Dashcam footage saw Morales weaving around cars and trucks along the interstate. One unit involved in the chase deployed spike strips, which appeared to puncture one of Morale’s tires, Gandhi said.
At around 9.45am, Morales lost control and veered off the freeway before the vehicle flew in the air and crashed into a tree in an embankment.
Body camera footage saw the car flip, as an officer parked and grabbed a rifle from the patrol vehicle.
‘Door’s open! Door’s open,’ the officer called out before commanding Morales to put his hands in the air.
‘Deputies and officers gave multiple commands for Morales to exit the vehicle and to walk back to them,’ Gandhi said. ‘Morales continued to ignore commands to surrender and then began reaching back into his vehicle, despite multiple commands to stop.’
‘Marvin walk towards us. Don’t reach. Put it down,’ an officer could be heard shouting.
Morales was said to have pulled out an object that officers believed to have been a rifle. At that time both K-9 deputies fired multiple rounds toward Morales, who went down and became unresponsive.
Gandhi said that Morales had worked for with sheriff’s office since 2017 before he was terminated for misconduct
Investigators said Morales admitted to using drugs that were later found to contain fentanyl. Morales had said he had struggled with his mental health and expressed suicidal thoughts
Morales was said to have pulled out an object that officers believed to have been a rifle. At that time both K-9 deputies fired multiple rounds toward Morales, who went down and became unresponsive
A K-9 was deployed as Morales remained unresponsive before he was taken to hospital and later pronounced deceased, according to Gandhi.
Officials have not confirmed if the item in Morales’ hand was in fact a rifle or whether he fired a weapon. No officers were injured.
The California Department of Justice is investigating the shooting as required under state law.
Gandhi said that Morales had worked for the sheriff’s office since 2017 before he was terminated for misconduct.
He had been involved in an internal investigation after overdosing on confiscated drugs while on duty in October 2023, according to the Bee.
Investigators said Morales admitted to using drugs that were later found to contain fentanyl. Morales had said he had struggled with his mental health and expressed suicidal thoughts, according to an internal affairs report.
