APPLE VALLEY, CA – A 44-year-old man was killed and another injured in a two-vehicle crash involving a suspected drunk driver on Saturday, September 20, 2025.
The collision occurred around 11:36 p.m. near Kiowa Road and Kiowa Place. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Exon Herrera Hernandez, 23, of Apple Valley, was driving a white Nissan Altima northbound on Kiowa Road when he rear-ended a white Hummer H2 occupied by a 44-year-old man and passenger Salvador Rubio Tamayo, 22, of Victorville.
The impact caused the Hummer to leave the roadway and overturn. Both occupants suffered major injuries and were transported to area hospitals. The driver of the Hummer was later pronounced deceased. Tamayo remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Deputies determined that Herrera Hernandez was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. He was arrested and booked into the High Desert Detention Center for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with gross negligence under Penal Code 191.5(a).
An investigator with the Sheriff’s Major Accident Investigation Team responded to the scene. Kiowa Road was closed between Del Oro Road and Caribou Avenue for approximately seven hours as evidence was collected and witnesses interviewed.
Anyone with information regarding the crash is urged to contact Deputy T. Arlotti at the Apple Valley Sheriff’s Station at (760) 240-7400 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at (760) 956-5001. Anonymous tips can be submitted through We-Tip at 1-800-78CRIME or www.wetip.com.
