On May 6, a marijuana deliveryman was shot and killed while making his rounds in Upland.
Johnnie Escalante, a 24-year-old cannabis product logistics specialist, was in a neighborhood at the extreme east end of Upland near Rancho Cucamonga when he had an encounter with three men near an apartment complex.
It is unclear whether Escalante’s death was the result of an attempt to waylay him and take both the products he was transporting and the monetary proceeds in his possession from sales made earlier that day.
According to Upland Police, Escalante was delivering marijuana to an apartment in Upland around in the 1300 block of East San Bernardino Road at 9:30 p.m. Saturday night when he became involved in a physical altercation. During that fight, he was shot.
The fatal shots were heard at around 9:40 p.m. It was unclear from the circumstance whether Escalante was in his vehicle at the time he was shot. He managed to drive off, but he was unable to maintain control of the car, which went head-on into a tree.
The name of the company for which Escalante worked has not been released. It is believed that the company is based outside of Upland. Upland, other than tolerating the sale of CBD oil at some establishments, does not permit the sale or distribution of marijuana or cannabis-based products within its city limits.
A cursory investigation determined that Anthony Tollesmiller, 18, Michael Tollesmiller, 21, and Brazjon Nolan, 19, who resided in the apartment complex where Escalante was making the delivery, were connected to the shooting. They have been arrested on suspicion of murder and were jailed at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.