San Bernardino Freeway Encampment Killing Ends With Two Arrests

A man was shot to death and a woman was wounded early Sunday, August 16, at a homeless encampment tucked against eastbound State Route 210 near Del Rosa Avenue in San Bernardino, and within a day investigators had two suspects in custody on suspicion of murder. San Bernardino Police officers were first sent to the area of 29th Street and Erwin Avenue around 1 a.m. after reports of possible gunfire, where they found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound and rushed her to a local hospital for treatment.

The shooting itself, however, happened on state right-of-way rather than a city street, which shifted lead responsibility for the case to the California Highway Patrol. As reported by VVNG, CHP officers from the San Bernardino area responded to the encampment near eastbound SR-210 and Del Rosa Avenue, where a man was pronounced dead at the scene. Under California Vehicle Code Section 2400, the CHP holds primary jurisdiction over violent crimes occurring on state highways and adjacent Caltrans rights-of-way, which is why the case moved from municipal police to state investigators once the shooting's true location was established.

Detectives Move Fast, Suspects Identified Within a Day

CHP detectives identified 21-year-old Isaac Miguel Martinez and 37-year-old David Antonio Carrillo, both of San Bernardino, as suspects in the shooting. The following day, the CHP Inland Division's Warrant Service Team served a search warrant at a San Bernardino residence connected to the investigation and took both men into custody. Investigators booked Martinez and Carrillo into the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Central Detention Center, the East Valley's primary booking facility, which handles more than 20,000 bookings a year.

Chief Tariq Johnson, who commands the CHP Inland Division, said the suspects' apprehension helped remove potentially dangerous individuals from communities. He added that the swift apprehension reflected the dedication and teamwork of law enforcement personnel. The Inland Division's Warrant Service Team was involved in the investigation. The investigation remains ongoing, and it is not yet known what relationship, if any, existed between the suspects and the two victims, nor what sparked the gunfire.

A Freeway Stretch With a History of Violence

A Freeway Stretch With a History of Violence This is not the first time the SR-210 corridor near Del Rosa Avenue has turned dangerous. In January 2021, a shooting involving a Caltrans sweeper truck was reported near Del Rosa Avenue. Redlands Community News reported that Ronald Jaramillo Jr., 26, was jailed in March 2021 in connection with a Jan. 26 freeway shooting near Del Rosa Avenue. The initial police response was near 29th Street and Erwin Avenue, while the fatal shooting occurred near eastbound SR-210 and Del Rosa Avenue.

Encampment Sits Amid Broader Homelessness and Crime Trends

The homicide comes as San Bernardino County reports its unhoused population trending downward. The county's 2026 Point-in-Time Count tallied 3,718 homeless individuals countywide in January, a 3.1% drop from the year before, with unsheltered residents falling 7.1% to 2,448 people, according to San Bernardino County. According to the San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership's Point-in-Time Count report, 1,270 people were sheltered, or approximately 34.2% of those counted. Within city limits, San Bernardino recorded 1,535 unhoused individuals in 2025.

State policy has also been shifting toward clearing hazardous freeway-adjacent encampments. In July, Governor Gavin Newsom expanded Caltrans Delegated Maintenance Agreements to San Bernardino, letting municipal agencies seek state reimbursement for clearing dangerous encampments along freeway rights-of-way, as reported by Governor of California.

Even with this violent encounter, San Bernardino's overall crime statistics have been trending down. Police department figures released in January showed local violent crimes, including homicides, robberies, and aggravated assaults, dropped by at least 25% compared to 2020 levels, with department leadership crediting improved data-integration tools. Statewide crime figures are separate from the local statistics cited above.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact CHP Detective Brewer at 909-806-2400. Formal charges against Martinez and Carrillo had not been confirmed by the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office as of the latest reporting, and the condition of the wounded woman has not been publicly updated.