A fleeing driver who died on the 215 Freeway after coming under gunfire from a sheriff's helicopter was identified Saturday as Nicholas Alan Johnson of Fontana.
Johnson had led deputies on a high-speed pursuit in oncoming freeway traffic Friday after they attempted to stop his SUV in connection with a home-invasion robbery in Devore, a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.
In Muscoy, a deputy in the helicopter fired at Johnson's Chevrolet Tahoe, striking it several times, the release said. Johnson bailed from the moving SUV and ran a few yards before collapsing on the freeway.
Johnson was struck by gunfire before getting out of the SUV, the release said. The official cause of death will be determined by an autopsy.
A man, woman and 13-year-old boy were injured after the Tahoe continued rolling and struck their SUV head on. The man and boy were treated and released from the hospital. The woman remained hospitalized Saturday with a fractured rib.
The shooting was the seventh from a sheriff's helicopter since the mid-1980s, when deputies began receiving regular training in using weapons from the air, spokeswoman Jodi Miller said.
The last such incident occurred in 2001 in Apple Valley, she said, but did not immediately have details.
The northbound freeway lanes were closed all night, backing up traffic for miles. The lanes reopened around 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
