Rancho Cucamonga Man Killed a Bicyclist While Fleeing from Deputies

LOMA LINDA – A pursuit turned deadly when a suspect hit a bicyclist and fled the scene Friday morning. At around 10:48 a.m. Detectives from the Rancho Cucamonga Station attempted to serve 37-year-old, Rancho Cucamonga resident, Eric Tafoya with a warrant for a domestic violence case.

Detectives believed Eric Tafoya may have been at a relative’s home in the  11000 block of Benton Court in Loma Linda. When they arrived, they saw Tafoya leave the home in his vehicle. The detectives attempted to conduct a traffic stop but Tafoya continued on.

As Tafoya fled westbound Barton Road he struck a bicyclist, identified as 62-year-old Redlands resident, Randolph Stephenson.  Tafoya continued to flee and while doing so, he crashed into a van disabling his vehicle. He got out of the vehicle and fled.  Central station deputies located Tafoya hiding in a shed a short time later. Tafoya was taken into custody and booked into the West Valley Detention Center for Murder and the active warrant.

The bicyclist was taken to Loma Linda University Medical center where he was pronounced dead at 12:18 p.m. The name of the victim will be released pending notification of next of kin. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT)  responded to the scene to assume the investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to contact the Region I Major Accident Investigation Team at (909)918-2305. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or you may leave information on the We-Tip Hotline at www.wetip.com.

For late-breaking news, join 24/7 Headline News on our Facebook Newsgroups for Los Angeles County News, Riverside County News, Adelanto News, Coachella Valley News, U.S./World News, Victor Valley/Inland Empire News. If you like what we are doing and want regular updates on your Facebook stream like our Facebook Fan Page. You may also follow 24/7 Headline News on Twitter and Instagram!