A months-long investigation into a staged crash on the I-215 has pushed four suspects into felony convictions and left a fifth defendant from Adelanto staring at a broader criminal case.
According to the California Department of Insurance, the group ordered a rideshare in San Bernardino, then used a second vehicle to ram it, aiming to file bogus injury claims and extract an insurance payout.
The plan fell apart almost immediately because the rideshare driver sensed something off and flagged the incident as more than a routine hit-and-run.
Kalil Davis, 27, from Hesperia, entered a no-contest plea to insurance fraud and assault with a deadly weapon. A judge handed down 180 days in county jail and two years of felony probation.
Investigators say Davis wasn’t improvising; he knew the collision was staged and took part in the setup. Deshawn Perater-Nickson, 26, of Adelanto, owned the car used in the crash.
He originally faced the same insurance fraud and assault charges, but while he sat in custody, investigators uncovered separate evidence tying him to false imprisonment, pimping, and pandering. His next court date lands on January 26, 2026, and the district attorney’s office hasn’t ruled out additional counts.
The November 23, 2024 crash hit California Highway Patrol logs as a simple hit-and-run. That changed when the rideshare driver pushed for a deeper look, prompting the Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force to dig in.
They eventually identified all five suspects: Davis; Perater-Nickson; Ledontae Pope, 30, of San Bernardino; John Murillo, 37, also of San Bernardino; and Klydale Moses, 24, of Fontana.
Murillo drove the car that struck the rideshare. Moses didn’t ride in either vehicle but still helped plan the scheme.
Prosecutors filed charges on January 27, 2025. Then came search warrants, interviews, and the May 19 arrests of Murillo and Moses.
According to department records, two of the three suspects taken into custody that day were already on probation for offences involving narcotics trafficking, assault with a deadly weapon, and felony firearm possession. It didn’t help their credibility.
By early autumn, four defendants chose to cut their losses and enter no-contest pleas. Pope received 90 days in county jail and two years of felony probation for his role in the staged collision. Davis took the same probation term with double the jail time.
Murillo agreed to a two-year state prison sentence and remains in custody awaiting formal sentencing. Moses, who helped orchestrate the crash, picked up 90 days in county jail and two years of felony probation.
Perater-Nickson’s case keeps unfolding. If the expanded charges stick, he’ll likely face a much heavier sentence than the others.
State officials continue urging Californians to record and report suspicious collisions, saying it’s one of the simplest ways to blunt insurance fraud schemes that keep popping up across the Inland Empire.
The task force running the investigation pulls investigators from the Department of Insurance, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, and the California Highway Patrol – a mix that tends to catch schemes like this before they spread.
