Update 2:41PM – The Sheriff’s Department has confirmed via Instagram that the suspect has been identified and is in custody.
The primary suspect in the manhunt that has kept a Joshua Tree neighborhood locked down has been apprehended and is in custody, as confirmed by a post released on Instagram by the Morongo Basin Sheriff.
The Sheriff’s Department was doing door-to-door checks on houses in the Friendly Hills neighborhood, specifically around La Mirada and Sherwood. We’ll continue to update this story as more details are released.
Update 11:54AM – The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has released information on the suspect:
On September 21, 2024, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Morongo Basin Sheriff Station deputies assisted Riverside Sheriff’s Department during the pursuit of an armed suspect. The suspect fled from his vehicle in the 60800 block of Mtn. View Trail, in Joshua Tree, and subsequently fired several rounds from a firearm. No law enforcement officers were injured.
The subject, Jonathan Rodriguez, is at-large at this time. Rodriguez is 5’6” tall, 110 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, dark pants or shorts, and a black hat. Residents in the area are asked to keep their doors and windows locked and remain inside. If you experience an emergency call 9-1-1.
Anyone with information about this investigation or who has information regarding the whereabouts of Jonathan Hernandez is urged to contact Sheriff’s Dispatch at (909) 387-8313. 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.
5’6″ Tall
110 lbs
Wearing dark pants, shirt and hat. White shirt.
Update 10:28AM – Helicopter and neighborhood street patrols have mostly moved out of the Friendly Hills neighborhood and are now concentrated between Alta Loma and Hwy. 62, near land known as “Section 33,” which is open desert owned and maintained by the Mojave Desert Land Trust.
Around 3:30 AM San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies joined Riverside County Sheriff’s on a pursuit of an armed suspect. The Morongo Basin Sheriff Station says that the suspect fled his vehicle in the 60800 block of Mountain View Trail in Joshua Tree and fired several rounds from a gun. No law enforcement officers were injured.
The suspect is still at large, and residents in the Friendly Hills neighborhood north south of Alta Loma are being asked to stay inside with their doors and windows locked.
As of 9:00 AM Alta Loma is partially open with Sheriff’s deputies posted up at most cross streets between Palomar and Park Blvd.
This is a developing story and we will have more information as it becomes available.
