ONTARIO, Calif. – A man who was riding his bicycle home in the City of Ontario was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver.
On Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at around 1:10 a.m., officers responded to the area of Mission Boulevard and Baker Avenue for an injured bicyclist. The bystander found the man on the shoulder of the road and called police. Medical personnel quickly responded to the scene and determined that the male subject had already died as a result of his injuries. It was learned that the bicyclist was traveling westbound on Mission Boulevard and was struck by a vehicle just west of Baker Avenue.
The name of the deceased bicyclist has not been released at this time. At around 2:35 a.m. officers received a report of a suspicious occupied vehicle. When officers arrived they found a male occupant who was inside of the vehicle and bleeding from his head and face. The vehicle had major front-end damage that was consistent with evidence found at the scene of the hit-and-run collision.
Julio Tapia, 31, of Ontario, sustained minor injuries but was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol. He was arrested for felony driving under the influence, hit and run, and gross vehicular manslaughter.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Ontario Police Department at (909) 986-6711 or Officer Brandon Resendez at (909) 408-1805. Information can also be reported anonymously by calling WE-TIP at (800) 78-CRIME or online at www.wetip.com.
