The man accused of killing a San Bernardino county Sheriff's Department deputy in a weekend road rage confrontation was charged Wednesday morning with murder.
The suspect was identified as Alonzo Smith, according to court documents. He pleaded not guilty.
The victim was identified as 70-year-old Lawrence Falce, a 33-year veteran of the sheriff's department, according to law enforcement officials. Falce collided with another driver Sunday near California State University, San Bernardino. That driver got out and punched the off-duty deputy, according to authorities.
Falce later died at a hospital. The driver was detained at the scene.
Witnesses said Falce appeared to swerved his vehicle to avoid hitting two stray dogs in the street before he crashed into the other driver. Security camera video from a nearby business showed two dogs on the road.
The other driver attempted to flee the scene before a white truck rammed into him in an attempt to stop him.
Smith is a gang member who has spent much of his adult life in and out of lockups. In 2015, he was released after serving two years of a 12-year sentence for selling marijuana, San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos said.
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"This person needs to spend the rest of his life in prison," Ramos said.
Anyone with information about the attack or crash is asked to contact Detective J. Castro of the SBPD at 909-384-5745 or Sgt. Mahan at 909-388-4955.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
