A man who took over driving for a man wanted in a firearms investigation died when the car, being pursued by Fontana police, collided with another car in San Bernardino on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
The suspect, described as a gang member and convicted felon who was wanted for questioning in a probe into an illegal gun sale, was later captured, Fontana police said in a news release Thursday.
The people in the car that was struck suffered minor injuries. A baby in a child safety seat was hospitalized as a precaution.
The person who died was Steven R. Alonzo, 33, of Colton, said Mara Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. His relationship with the suspect was unclear on Thursday.
The name of the suspect had not been announced as of Thursday morning.
Fontana gang unit officers spotted the suspect around 3:50 p.m. near I and 23rd streets in San Bernardino. The suspect drove away in a red Nissan Altima with a passenger inside, the release said. During the pursuit, the suspect threw a gun from the car. The gun was later recovered.
Officers lost sight of the car before seeing it again near Baseline Road and Medical Center Drive. The car continued at “high speed” south on Medical Center before it collided with another car at 10th Street, the release said.
Officers pulled the unconscious driver from the Altima as it caught fire. That person died at a hospital.
“Numerous firearms and narcotics were recovered from inside the Altima,” the release said.
The occupants of the other car were able to get out on their own.
Police later learned that the suspect fled the car during the pursuit. He was arrested that night in the 1500 block of Windsor Place in San Bernardino, said Officer Steve Reed, a Fontana police spokesman.
No officers were injured. The San Bernardino Police Department is investigating the collision.
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