A search is underway for a man who fatally stabbed an unknown person in a wash area in Highland before hitching a ride from a nearby resident and fleeing the scene Monday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
A resident on Mira Vista Avenue said he was leaving his home when a man, later identified as 24-year-old Jonathan Padilla, came out of the nearby wash area and asked him for a ride to San Bernardino, according to the news release.
The resident gave Padilla a ride and then noticed blood on his clothing as well as “other evidence indicating a serious assault occurred,” the Sheriff’s Department said.
When the resident got home, he called deputies to the area at about 9:37 p.m., according to authorities.
Deputies from the Highland Police Department responded and searched the wash area near the neighborhood where they found a victim suffering from stab wounds.
Paramedics arrived to treat the victim but the person was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
An investigation revealed that Padilla stabbed the victim then ran to a nearby home, where he asked for a ride, the Sheriff’s Department said.
The victim was only described as male.
The investigation is ongoing. No further details were available.
Anyone with information on Padilla’s whereabouts was asked to contact Detective James Tebbetts at 909-387-3589 or call sheriff’s dispatch at 909-387-8313. Callers can remain anonymous by contacting the WeTip hotline at 800-78CRIME.