Suspect Arrested on Murder Charges Following Fatal Hit-and-Run Collision in Riverside
RIVERSIDE, CA —Riverside police officers have arrested a man on suspicion of murder following a fatal hit-and-run collision that occurred on Monday, July 27, 2026.
According to the Riverside Police Department, officers assigned to the Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) Team attempted a traffic stop near Magnolia Avenue and La Sierra Avenue at approximately 11:40 a.m. The driver initially yielded, but then fled eastbound on Magnolia Avenue at a high rate of speed as officers approached the vehicle on foot.
As the vehicle entered the intersection at Park Sierra Avenue, it struck a pedestrian crossing in a marked crosswalk. Officers halted their vehicle to render emergency medical aid until medical personnel arrived. The pedestrian, a 42-year-old resident of Riverside, died from their injuries.
An investigation conducted by the department’s Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau identified the suspect as 62-year-old Gene Amos Cunningham of Riverside. Police noted that Cunningham was on state parole for assault with a deadly weapon and had two outstanding felony warrants.
Public records reveal that Cunningham has an extensive law enforcement record in Riverside County spanning over a decade. His history includes multiple prior arrests for violent offenses—such as assault with a deadly weapon and spousal battery—along with charges of evading police with wanton disregard for safety, illegal weapons and narcotics possession, resisting arrest, and numerous probation and parole violations.
On Tuesday, July 28, 2026, members of the METRO Team located and arrested Cunningham. He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of murder and felony hit-and-run resulting in death, where he remains held without bail.
Authorities request anyone with information or who witnessed the incident to contact Detective Amanda Beeman at (951) 826-8723 or via email at ABeeman@RiversideCA.gov.
