'It was really bad': Witnesses recall deadly crash involving Chowchilla officer

CHOWCHILLA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The City of Chowchilla and different Central Valley instrumentality enforcement agencies are mourning the decease of Officer Ray Barrantes.

Barrantes died connected the nighttime of October 3 aft an mishap with a semi-truck astatine Highway 152 and Road 13 astir 10:30 p.m. The Mayor of Chowchilla said he’s ordering flags astatine each metropolis facilities to beryllium half-staff until October 12. He besides encourages anyone other successful the country with a emblem to bash the same.

“I was astir to spell to slumber and past each of a abrupt you perceive a clang oregon something, and I thought it was similar a instrumentality that popped due to the fact that it sounded similar thing benignant of exploded,” Geraldin Valdez, who lives adjacent the crash, said.

Geraldin and her dada were location past nighttime preparing for furniture erstwhile they heard a boom.

“I heard, like, a lot. A batch of, like, ambulances and like, constabulary cars and like, it was conscionable similar a scary acquisition due to the fact that I've ne'er seen thing truly bad,” Valdez said.

The Valdez household lives by the intersection of Highway 152 and Road 13. There, Chowchilla Police said an on-duty serviceman and a semi-truck hauling tomatoes crashed astatine 10:30 Friday night. The Officer was identified arsenic Ray Barrantes.

“We heard the interaction and I called 911 fast,” Daniel Valdez, Geraldin’s father, said.

“That time, it felt similar it was truly atrocious due to the fact that we heard, like, a large crash, and I thought possibly idiosyncratic died oregon something,” Valdez said.

As the probe continued, tomatoes were inactive littered connected the road. Investigators said the semi was trying to transverse Highway 152 erstwhile the serviceman deed the semi’s rear close side. Barrantes died connected the scene.

“My parents came successful to similar our country and told america not to spell extracurricular and hold here,” Valdez said.

Chowchilla Police announced the quality earlier successful the time on societal media.

Moments of calamity similar this are devastating to our section and particularly the household of this astonishing officer.  It is going to instrumentality clip for our section to heal from this tragic loss.

Chief of Police Jeff Palmer

The quality was met with a flurry of enactment from aggregate section agencies. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office utilized an Instagram post to item however unsafe driving tin be.

The Merced Police Department besides took to societal media to stock their condolences.

Valdez tells maine the roadworthy adjacent his location is dangerous. He’s lived determination for 7 years and said determination person been astatine slightest 3 deadly crashes there.

“Every time, I thrust dilatory to the stop. Check it retired and marque definite it's clear, past I go,” Valdez said.

Chowchilla’s Police Department is besides sending thoughts and prayers to Officer Barrantes' family.

This serviceman was a dedicated and respected subordinate of our section and had galore years of dedicated instrumentality enforcement service.