Montclair man charged with murder in crash that killed driver

A Montclair man has been charged with murder after he shot at a person he knew,  that person’s car crashed and he died, authorities said.

On March 18, at about 5:30 p.m., 911 callers reported hearing gunshots in the area of Ramona Avenue and Canoga Street, Montclair police said. A witness saw a black car leaving the area, and moments later a speeding black car crashed at Ramona Avenue and Dale Street and rolled several times.

The driver was taken to a hospital in Los Angeles County, where he died, Montclair Police Sgt. Andy Graziano said.

Montclair investigators identified Nicolas Cisneros, 42, of Montclair, as a suspect. On March 22, officers attempted a traffic stop on Cisneros, who sped away but quickly crashed, the department said in a Facebook post.

Cisneros was booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, and on March 23, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office charged Cisneros with murder. Court records could not immediately be located for Cisneros to determine whether he has entered a plea.

The LA County Coroner’s Office has not announced the name of the dead man. Graziano said police believe that Cisneros’ gunfire caused the crash but that the man’s injuries were too severe to immediately determine whether he had been shot. The coroner was expected to complete an autopsy in the next week, Graziano said.

The motive was under investigation, so Graziano declined to say how the two knew each other.

Police ask anyone with information on the case to call Detective Angelo St. John at 909-448-3645.