Police in San Bernardino County are searching for a suspect in connection with the death of one person and the kidnapping of another, officials confirmed to KTLA.
The Oct. 7 violence, according to a news release from the Montclair Police Department, occurred just after 12:30 a.m. in the 9700 block of Benson Avenue, near a school in the area.
Police say the incident began as a verbal altercation between three occupants in one vehicle and an unidentified suspect in another, which escalated into a chase when the three victims attempted to leave the area.
The suspect, according to investigators, was reportedly shooting at the victim’s vehicle during the chase.
It was near the intersection of North Benson Avenue and San Bernardino Road that the suspect reportedly rammed the victim’s vehicle, causing it to collide with a tree. When two of the victims attempted to flee the crashed vehicle, one of them, a female, was kidnapped by the suspect, though she was later able to escape while in the city of Ontario.
“She was transported to a local hospital to be treated,” officials said. “The whereabouts of the second occupant is unknown.”
When officers arrived at the scene of the crash, a third victim was located unresponsive. They were rushed to a nearby hospital where they were pronounced dead.
Aerial footage of the scene captured by Sky5 showed yellow crime scene tape cordoning off an area that appeared to be on the campus of Buena Vista Arts-Integrated Magnet School, as well as an area just off the campus on the sidewalk where the victims’ vehicle appears to have crashed into the tree. A portion of the school’s fence also appeared to have been knocked down or run over during the crash.
“It appears that this is not a random incident, and all involved parties are associated with each other,” officials said.
Investigators have not released a description of the suspect, who remains on the loose, nor have they identified any of the three victims, though the case remains ongoing.
Anyone with information about this investigation is urged to call the Montclair Police Department at 909-621-4771. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the WeTip Hotline at 800-78-CRIME or leave tips online at www.wetip.com.
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