San Bernardino County investigators searched an Orange County home after a kidnapping ended in two fatal shootings during a traffic stop.
CHINO HILLS, CA — Investigators served a search warrant at a home in Irvine as they worked to determine what led to a kidnapping and deadly confrontation involving sheriff’s deputies in Chino Hills, authorities said Friday.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department served the warrant at a residence near Crossover and Benchmark, according to the Irvine Police Department. Irvine police said the search was connected to the Chino Hills homicide investigation but did not disclose what investigators were seeking or whether anything was seized.
The Irvine search marks the latest development in an investigation that began late Wednesday, July 29, after deputies were sent to the 2100 block of Monteverde Drive in Chino Hills. Authorities said a caller reported hearing gunfire and someone yelling for help shortly after 10 p.m.
Deputies responding to the neighborhood saw a Nissan Altima with Oregon license plates traveling at a high speed and attempted to stop it, authorities said. The driver did not yield, leading deputies on a brief pursuit that ended on Wandering Ridge Drive. Officials said deputies did not yet know that a kidnapping had occurred when they first encountered the car.
After the pursuit ended, deputies ordered the two people in the passenger compartment to get out. A passenger followed their commands and was taken into custody without being injured, according to the Sheriff’s Department. The driver initially did not comply.
Authorities said the driver later stepped out, moved toward the car’s open trunk and fired at a man being held inside. Deputies then opened fire, striking the driver. Sheriff’s personnel attempted lifesaving measures, but both the driver and the man in the trunk were pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe the victim had been shot and abducted at the Monteverde Drive location before being placed in the trunk, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Officials have described the victim as a man in his 60s but have not publicly released his name. The identity of the driver also had not been announced Friday.
No deputies were injured. The passenger remained in custody after the shooting, but authorities had not announced any criminal charges or explained the person’s alleged role. Officials also had not released the passenger’s identity.
Investigators have not disclosed a possible motive or said whether the victim knew either person in the car. The Irvine warrant indicates that detectives are examining evidence or connections beyond the two Chino Hills locations, but authorities have not explained how the Irvine residence may be tied to the people involved.
The Sheriff’s Department is investigating both the kidnapping and homicide, as well as the deputy-involved shooting. Authorities said the inquiry remained active Friday, with the relationships among those involved, the reason for the abduction and the significance of the Irvine property still unresolved.
Author note: Last updated July 31, 2026.