The state attorney general announced Friday an investigation into a fatal motorcyclist shooting by Newport Beach Police Department officials later last week.
The April 18 incident with the 45-year-old Ryder, identified as Jeffrey Sterling, currently resident of Laguna Niguel, unfolded around 9:15pm.
Sterling reportedly was stopped by Newport police in the area of the Pacific Coast Highway west of Superior Avenue, but authorities had not provided a reason for the traffic halt.
“While stopping, the male adult rider, who was the sole resident of the motorcycle, became uncooperative,” officials said in a news release. “A shooting involving an officer has been caused, resulting in a man being injured.”
Newport Beach officials were fatally shot on April 17, 2025. (KTLA) Newport Beach officials at the scene of a fatal police shooting on April 17, 2025.
The 45-year-old was rushed to Hoag Hospital and was later declared deceased.
So far, there has been no suggestion that the motorcyclist is armed, but it is just that he was “uncooperative.”
Dozens of trees hacked by the destroyers of downtown Los Angeles
Sterling was scheduled to appear at arrest hearing Monday on charges of a felony related to the March 21 fire, according to the Los Angeles Times. It is unclear whether the issue has anything to do with traffic stops.
A day after the fatal police shooting, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced in a press release that the California Department of Justice will conduct an independent investigation into the Newport Beach shooting.
The Newport Beach Police Department has also conducted its own investigation into the shooting, with each state law releasing body camera footage decorated with the incident’s braces for 45 days from the date of the incident.
Officials from the California Department of Justice have encouraged anyone with information about the shooting to call 916-210-2871.
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