Bus crash on I-580 kills off-duty sheriff’s deputy

Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputy Sroeuy Khin was killed Friday morning when his car was rear-ended on Interstate 580 by a bus carrying Tesla employees. Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputy Sroeuy Khin was killed Friday morning when his car was rear-ended on Interstate 580 by a bus carrying Tesla employees. Photo: Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Photo: Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Bus crash on I-580 kills off-duty sheriff’s deputy 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

An off-duty Alameda County sheriff’s deputy who was killed Friday when a bus carrying Tesla employees crashed into his car near Tracy was a 10-year veteran of the force, a husband and a father of four, according to officials.

Deputy Sroeuy Khin was killed about 7 a.m. when his white Volkswagen Beetle was rear-ended by the bus on Interstate 580 at Interstate 205 on the Altamont Pass, said Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern.

Khin died a day before his 51st birthday while driving to his home in San Joaquin County after working a 12-hour shift at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, Ahern said.

The collision occurred when Khin’s car either slowed or came to a stop in a middle lane of the freeway and the bus slammed into the rear of the vehicle, said Cmdr. Christopher Sherry of the California Highway Patrol Division in Dublin. He said the bus was estimated to be going 65 mph when it plowed into Khin’s car.

The bus driver, whose name was not immediately released, told CHP officers that he didn’t see the car because the sun was in his eyes.

Khin had been with the Sheriff’s Office since March 2007.

“He was one of the first people I hired,” Ahern said. “He’s just a hardworking guy trying to take care of his family the best he can.”

He described Khin as “one of our most dedicated employees.”

The CHP reported that the 2002 Volkswagen that Khin was driving was crushed and that he had to be extricated from the car. CHP officers at the scene placed an American flag over Khin’s body lying in the roadway.

“It’s heart-wrenching,” Ahern said at a news conference Friday afternoon. “It’s not fun to see your employee draped with an American flag.”

The tour bus, which was independently operated, was carrying 51 Tesla employees to Stockton from the car manufacturer’s plant in Fremont, Sherry said.

Sherry said the bus driver was cooperating with the investigation, and that drugs or alcohol were not suspected in the crash.

One passenger aboard the bus suffered minor injuries but was not transported to the hospital.

“We are deeply saddened by reports that there was a fatality as a result of the accident. We will lend any support that we can to the authorities who are investigating the incident,” Tesla said in a statement.

Three eastbound lanes of I-580 were closed for more than six hours after the collision but reopened by about 1:45 p.m.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani