A kidnapping suspect was killed by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Chino Hills, after the driver executed a victim inside a car trunk during a traffic stop. The victim had been previously shot and abducted from a home on Monteverde Drive shortly before the fatal confrontation.
The incident began shortly after 10 p.m. on Wednesday when deputies responded to reports of gunshots and screams for help in the 2000 block of Monteverde Drive. According to public information officer Gloria Orejel, a victim was shot by two kidnappers as they exited their home and were subsequently forced into the trunk of a vehicle.
The Traffic Stop on Wandering Ridge Drive
As deputies searched the area, they spotted the suspect vehicle—a Nissan Altima with Oregon plates—and initiated a traffic stop. The encounter escalated into a short pursuit that ended on Wandering Ridge Drive near Chino Avenue. At the time of the stop, law enforcement officials stated they were unaware of a potential kidnapping.
Home surveillance footage captured the final moments of the pursuit. A passenger exited the vehicle with their hands in the air and was taken into custody. However, the driver’s actions triggered a lethal response from deputies.
“The passenger did comply. However, the driver exited the vehicle, approached the trunk of the suspect vehicle and fired a shot into a victim that was inside the trunk.”
Gloria Orejel, Public Information Officer
Deputies immediately opened fire, killing the driver at the scene. The victim in the trunk was also pronounced dead. While the victim had been shot once at the Monteverde Drive residence, they were shot a second time inside the vehicle during the stop.
Crime Scene Evidence and Investigation
The tragedy left a neighborhood at the center of two distinct crime scenes. The first was the residence on Monteverde Drive where the abduction occurred; the second was the site of the shooting on Wandering Ridge Drive. Aerial footage from ABC7 showed a covered body on the ground next to the car and several evidence markers placed by investigators.
The sequence of events reveals a desperate window of time between the initial 10 p.m. call and the traffic stop. Because the driver chose to execute the victim in the presence of law enforcement, the incident shifted from a kidnapping recovery to a double homicide in a matter of seconds.
Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victim or the deceased driver. It remains unclear if the driver, the passenger, and the victim were known to one another. No deputies were injured during the shooting.
Current Status and Public Safety
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department has stated via Instagram that there is no ongoing threat to the public and that no other suspects are outstanding.
“Residents can expect a continued law enforcement presence in the area as the investigation remains ongoing.”
San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department
Investigators are now working to establish the connection between the suspects and the victim. The primary focus remains the forensic analysis of the two crime scenes to determine the exact timeline of the victim’s injuries and the identity of those involved.
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