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Maria Toedt

Age : 40

Gender : Female

Race : White

Date : 08/29/2025

Location : Interstate 15 near State Route 163 interchange

City : San Diego

County : San Diego

State : California

Agency : Escondido Police Department, California Department of Justice

Officer(s) :James Albrego, Aaron Palomino, Corey Montross

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police after pursuit

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/29/2025, 40-year-old Maria Toedt was killed by Escondido police following a vehicle pursuit that began in Escondido and ended on Interstate 15 near the State Route 163 interchange in San Diego. The California Department of Justice now identifies Toedt by name and identifies the three involved Escondido officers as James Albrego, Aaron Palomino and Corey Montross. The state investigation remains open as of August 2026.
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The pursuit began at approximately 4 p.m. in Escondido and traveled south on Interstate 15. Initial police statements did not disclose why officers originally attempted to stop Toedt. Later accounts of released video and radio traffic indicate officers were seeking Toedt in connection with outstanding warrants.
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During the pursuit, Toedt drove at high speeds and at points used freeway areas outside normal traffic lanes. San Diego Police Department's ABLE helicopter followed portions of the pursuit from the air. The pursuit eventually reached the Miramar area near the I-15/SR-163 interchange.
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The pursuit ended after Toedt's SUV collided with other vehicles on southbound Interstate 15. Escondido officers surrounded the SUV. Later-released recordings indicate police believed Toedt might be armed. A 911 recording reportedly captured Toedt saying that she had a gun and that she was not going to be taken alive.
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As officers surrounded the crashed SUV, Toedt moved inside the vehicle. Police interpreted her movement toward the rear portion of the SUV as an attempt to retrieve a weapon. Escondido officers James Albrego, Aaron Palomino and Corey Montross then fired into the vehicle, striking Toedt multiple times.
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No firearm was recovered from Toedt or her vehicle. California Attorney General Rob Bonta subsequently confirmed that Toedt was unarmed. Because an unarmed civilian was killed by police, the shooting triggered a mandatory California Department of Justice investigation under Assembly Bill 1506.
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Officers removed the critically wounded Toedt from the SUV and provided medical treatment before paramedics transported her to a hospital. She subsequently died from the gunshot wounds.
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The shooting caused authorities to close the southbound lanes of Interstate 15 near SR-163 for approximately 18 hours while investigators processed the scene.
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The California Department of Justice Police Shooting Investigation Team took responsibility for the independent investigation. The DOJ assigned the case number BI-LA2025-00098. Once the investigation is completed, the case is to be forwarded to the DOJ Special Prosecutions Section for an independent determination regarding criminal liability.
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As of August 2026, the California Department of Justice continues to list Maria Toedt's case as under investigation. The state database now provides information absent from the original news coverage: Toedt's identity and the names of all three Escondido officers involved in the shooting.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
James Albrego, Aaron Palomino and Corey Montross are identified by the California Department of Justice as the Escondido Police Department officers involved in Toedt's fatal shooting.
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Corey Montross had previously shot and seriously wounded 34-year-old Antonio Rosales in Escondido on 10/02/2024. Police had responded to a report of a man with a gun at the Escondido Transit Center. Montross chased Rosales onto a bicycle path and shot him multiple times after Rosales turned while holding what appeared to be a firearm. The object was subsequently determined to be a revolver-style BB gun. Rosales survived. The San Diego County District Attorney's Office later determined that Montross would not face criminal charges for that shooting.
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Montross was also already a defendant in a federal civil-rights lawsuit before both the Rosales shooting and Toedt's death. Dwight Ernest Samuels filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on 08/05/2024 against the City of Escondido and officers Corey Montross, Chandler Hoppal and Mario Feria. The action was brought under 42 U.S.C. §1983 and alleged civil-rights violations. The existence of the lawsuit does not establish that the allegations against Montross were proven.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/watch-live-police-chase-ends-with-crash-on-freeway-in-san-diego/3893734/
https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/chase-leads-to-officer-involved-shooting-along-interstate-15
https://www.cbs8.com/video/news/local/justice-dept-to-investigate-fatal-freeway-shooting-with-escondido-police/509-8cbcf41b-8843-4dd0-9a7d-2282782d575e
https://oag.ca.gov/ois-incidents/current-cases
https://www.oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/california-department-justice-investigating-officer-involved-shooting-under-ab-0
https://thecoastnews.com/unarmed-woman-fatally-shot-by-escondido-police/
https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2025/08/31/woman-shot-by-escondido-police-during-freeway-pursuit-dies/
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/20241009-identification-from-escondido-officer-involved-shooting-investigation.pdf
https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2024/10/09/authorities-name-officer-who-wounded-suspect-near-escondido-transit-center/
https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2025/07/04/officers-deputies-cleared-shootings-2023-2024/
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/casdce/3%3A2024cv01392/790568