San Bernardino, CA — In the early hours of Thursday, November 7, 2024, at approximately 9:19 AM, two San Bernardino Police Officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for multiple vehicle code violations. The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was identified as Albert Jose
Rodriguez Jr. (48 years old, resident of San Bernardino). During the stop, Rodriguez was uncooperative and refused orders to stop reaching inside his shirt (where a firearm was later located) and exit the vehicle. Officers attempted to remove Rodriguez from the vehicle and a struggle ensued.
During the struggle, Rodriguez attempted to drive away. The officer positioned on the vehicle's passenger side leaned into the car to turn the vehicle off and unbuckle Rodriguez's seat belt. Rodriguez continued to violently resist and managed to drive away, injuring one officer and trapping the other in the vehicle. As the vehicle was moving, Rodriguez, who was armed with a loaded firearm, attempted to retrieve the weapon. At this point, an officer-involved shooting occurred. After the shooting, the officer had to take control of the still-moving vehicle and steer
it to safety to prevent it from colliding with other motorists on the roadway.
Following the incident, officers recovered the firearm that Rodriguez was armed with and began administering lifesaving measures while paramedics were called to the scene. Rodriguez was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers located an amount of suspected narcotics. Rodriguez was a documented gang member with an extensive criminal history, which included arrests for assault with a deadly weapon, sales of narcotics, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The San Bernardino Police Department Homicide Unit responded to conduct a thorough investigation, which is being overseen by members of the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
The San Bernardino Police Department urges anyone with information related to this case to contact Detective B. Nelson at (909) 384-5640 or via email at [email protected]. You may also reach Sergeant E. Campos at (909) 384-5613 or [email protected].