The Morongo Basin CHP is still searching for the vehicle and/or driver of a Chevrolet Silverado that was involved in a fatal crash and left the scene.
The California Highway Patrol said that on Tuesday (January 14), at approximately 4:15 p.m., a Nissan Sentra was traveling at a high speed eastbound on Twentynine Palms Highway near Kerr Avenue. The CHP says that a Chevrolet Silverado was traveling eastbound in front of the Nissan at a slow speed. The CHP says that the Nissan steered to the right to avoid hitting the Chevrolet, and the driver of the Nissan lost control, hitting the Chevrolet first then moving into the westbound lanes of traffic where it collided into a Burrtec trash truck and then into a Tesla.
The driver of the Nissan, Benjamin Perez, a 31 year-old resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was killed in the collision.
The Silverado is dark green, extended cab or four door, missing a front license plate, has step rails and may have minor damage to the right front area. If anyone has information about the Chevrolet or its driver, call the Morongo Basin CHP Office at 760-366-3707.
