Two Arrested Following Traffic Collision with Shots Fired

VICTORVILLE – A Victorville and Hesperia man have been arrested for a single-vehicle collision in the area of Nisqualli and Arrowhead drives on Monday. At around 5:53 p.m. deputies and emergency personnel responded to a report of a rollover crash and a shots fired call. When they arrived they found two passengers of the vehicle had been ejected from the vehicle.

“The front seat passenger suffered major injuries and was airlifted to a Los Angeles County hospital, where he was pronounced deceased”, stated Victorville Sheriff’s Spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez.  “The second passenger, identified as John Ornelas, suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.”

John Ornelas, 19, of Victorville was one of the two ejected and witnesses said that they saw him firing multiple rounds from a handgun into the air after being ejected. The driver, Rogelio Mendoza, 23, of Hesperia fled the scene of the collision. A handgun that had been stolen years earlier was found hidden near the collision site and the vehicle involved was learned to be stolen out of Hesperia. The following day and arrest warrant was issued for Mendoza and he was arrested without incident and booked into the High Desert Detention Center for a felony parole violation. He is being held without bail. Ornelas was arrested and booked for willful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence. The case is being forwarded to the District Attorney’s office for review and charges.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the Victorville Police Department at (760) 241-2911. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or you may leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.

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