2 Still Sought in Slaying of Deputy

The manhunt continued Saturday for two suspects in the shooting death of a Riverside County deputy sheriff who was ambushed Friday while apparently interrupting a home-invasion robbery in the rural community of Pedley.

The deputy was identified Saturday as Eric A. Thach, 34, who lived with his wife in Sun City. He joined the department in September 1996, and began patrol duties in the Pedley area earlier this year, said department spokeswoman Sgt. Perri Feinstein-Portales.

Thach was responding to a call of an open door at a home and happened upon a takeover robbery in progress, Feinstein-Portales said. “When Deputy Thach arrived, he was ambushed and shot in the back.”

Thach was able to radio for help, and died about 90 minutes later while in surgery.

One unidentified suspect, armed with a rifle, fled to the nearby Santa Ana River, where he was spotted and killed by deputies after exchanging fire with the officers, authorities said.

A home-by-home search for the two other suspects was concluded about 1 a.m. Saturday with no results. They were described as Latino males between the ages of 15 and 25.

A victim at the home robbery scene, who was found bound with tape, was treated for minor injuries.