A Lancaster man, Makare Darnell Toliver, has been sentenced to 12 years in state prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced yesterday. Toliver, whose date of birth is listed as April 7, 2003, was convicted for a series of severe offenses including assault with a semiautomatic firearm, second-degree robbery, and evading an officer which ultimately led to a tragic fatality.
According to the press release from the District Attorney's Office, on July 27, 2024, Toliver confronted a man in a Camarillo parking lot, brandishing a loaded weapon and demanding the victim to hand over cash and valuables, including a cell phone, and a firearm. The defendant then fled in a red Mazda, which was spotted by Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies shortly after the robbery. Despite initially pulling over, Toliver and a passenger attempted to escape at high speeds, resulting in a series of collisions, one of which fatally injured cyclist Robert Pierret.
The high-speed pursuit and subsequent crashes caused Pierret to lose his life, a death for which Toliver is now held criminally liable. After a nearly head-on collision with a second vehicle, Toliver was apprehended by law enforcement officials and, along with his passenger, was taken into custody. The victim was transported to Ventura County Medical Center but did not survive the injuries sustained.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Leija of the Ventura County District Attorney's Office Major Crimes Unit. "The Pierret family endured an unfathomable loss due to the defendant’s selfish and reckless actions," Ms. Leija said in a statement. "While no sentence can ever undue that loss, I hope the judge’s sentence will provide the Pierret family with the closure they deserve," the Ventura County District Attorney's Office stated.
