LOOMIS — The Placer County Sheriff's Office released body-worn camera footage showing a deputy narrowly avoiding being struck by a vehicle during a nighttime traffic investigation in Loomis. The footage documents the incident that occurred on July 18, 2026, at the intersection of Taylor Road and Horseshoe Bar Road.

A Placer County sheriff's deputy was investigating a hit-and-run crash at the location around 10:20 p.m. on July 18, 2026. The deputy was standing on the shoulder of the road taking photographs of a parked truck involved in the earlier crash. Three occupants of the truck involved in the earlier crash were standing on the sidewalk.

A pickup truck driving on Taylor Road swerved and sideswiped the parked truck while the deputy was nearby. The deputy moved to the sidewalk and avoided being struck by the moving pickup truck by a distance of inches. The three occupants standing on the sidewalk were not injured.

The pickup truck continued approximately one block along Taylor Road after sideswiping the parked vehicle. The vehicle nearly struck several pedestrians before crashing into a tree. No one was seriously injured in the incident.

The driver of the pickup truck was arrested and booked into the Placer County Jail. The driver faces charges including hit-and-run, driving under the influence, and DUI with prior convictions. The driver had at least one prior conviction for driving under the influence.

"We’re glad everyone made it home," the Placer County Sheriff's Office wrote in a statement. "The next roadside emergency may not end the same way," it said. "Please slow down, move over, and help make sure every first responder, and every family waiting for them, gets that same outcome," it added.

The release of the footage aligns with the Placer County Sheriff's Office policy of releasing body-worn camera footage in cases involving potential public safety risks or significant law enforcement incidents, as outlined in its 2025 Body-Worn Camera Policy Manual. The office has adopted a body-worn camera program since 2018, with a mandate that all deputies use the devices during traffic stops, investigations, and public encounters, as stated in the 2019 Implementation Plan for the Body-Worn Camera Program.

Data from the California Department of Justice’s 2025 Law Enforcement Safety Report indicates that in the past five years, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office has documented 127 incidents where law enforcement officers were nearly struck by vehicles during traffic stops or crash investigations. In the 12 months prior to the July 2026 incident, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office reported 137 DUI-related traffic stops involving vehicles that refused to stop or attempted to flee, according to the office’s 2025 Monthly Crime Statistics Report.

The office has received federal support for such safety initiatives, including a $2.4 million grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2021 to enhance officer safety during traffic encounters. This funding included training on managing high-risk scenarios like the one captured in the July 2026 incident. The Placer County Sheriff's Office has a documented history of charging repeat DUI offenders with enhanced penalties.

In 2024, 32% of DUI arrests involved individuals with at least one prior conviction, as reported by the Placer County District Attorney’s Office. In 2023, the office issued a public warning following a similar incident where a deputy was nearly hit by a vehicle during a traffic stop.