Driver, 19, pronounced dead after being found shot in crashed car in Pasadena, homicide investigation underway

PASADENA, Calif. () — A 19-year-old driver who had been shot was pronounced dead after being found at the scene of a single-vehicle crash in Pasadena, prompting a homicide investigation, authorities said.

The victim, identified as Ivan Cervantes-Cruz, of El Monte, was discovered after officers responded to the scene where the car he was driving jumped a curb and slammed into a wall in a residential area neighborhood.

The collision was reported at 6:15 p.m. in the 700 block of Rio Grande Street, one block north of Washington Boulevard.

“They found a man slumped over in a vehicle. They began to do life-saving measures. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries. The officers discovered he suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body,” said Pasadena Police Lt. Carlo Montiglio.

The official cause of death was under investigation by detectives from the department’s Robbery/Homicide Unit and the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office.

Relatives and friends gathered in a Pasadena neighborhood to leave candles and flowers on a sidewalk to grieve the 19-year-old’s murder.

“He was like a brother to me…really close to me. Always had a smile…always making people smile,” said Anthony Ramirez, a friend of the victim.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Cervantes-Cruz’s family with funeral expenses.

Area residents were stunned by the deadly violence in what they say is normally a quiet area. Several witnesses at the scene told officers they heard gunfire.

“I came walking up and I noticed it was obviously an accident and the policeman had taken the driver out of the driver’s side and had him on the ground and was trying to revive him …that was very ugly,” said one witness.

News video from the scene showed a white sedan on the sidewalk as authorities closed the street to traffic.

Detectives are searching for the 19-year-old’s killer. No information about a possible suspect was released.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call Pasadena police at (626)-744-4241 or report information anonymously by contacting “Crime Stoppers” at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), via your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website lacrimestoppers.org.