Defendants in Chino pizzeria shootout case plead not guilty

Two men have pleaded not guilty to murder and 13 other felonies for their suspected involvement in the February robbery of a Chino pizzeria that ended in the death of an innocent bystander.

Edward Ramon Cisneros, of La Mirada, and Joel Anthony Jaquez, of Hacienda Heights, are accused of trying to rob a Papa John's restaurant at 12615 Central Ave. on Feb. 1.

The men, both 27, allegedly fired at Chino police officers who responded to the robbery as they attempted to flee the area. Both men were shot by police and initially hospitalized in critical condition.

An innocent bystander, 23-year-old Daniel Balandran of Rubidoux, was shot and killed by a Chino police officer during the shootout between police and the two alleged robbers.

Cisneros and Jaquez are each charged with murder, four counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault with a firearm on a police officer, two counts of robbery, and one count each of burglary, criminal threats, and kidnaping to commit robbery.

Cisneros pleaded not guilty to the charges on March 18, and Jaquez pleaded not guilty Monday.

Both men remained jailed this afternoon in West Valley Detention Center in lieu of $2 million bail.

They are due in West Valley Superior Court on Wednesday morning.

Balandran's family has hired an attorney who says he intends to file a civil lawsuit against the city of Chino for Balandran's death.

The attorney, Mark Algorri, says Balandran was shot in area separate from the shootout. A Chino policewoman wrongly believed Balandran was involved in the robbery, he said.

Algorri said Balandran and a friend, Carlos Orozco of Riverside, were sitting in their car in a McDonald's parking lot when the shooting started.

The two men exited the car and started to move away from the gunfire when they were confronted by the officer and her partner, Algorri said.

The officer told sheriff's investigators she told the men repeatedly to put their hands up, Algorri said. Orozco denies the officer's assertion, Algorri said.

"(The officer) said Balandran was holding something in his hands close to his stomach, and she couldn't see what it was, and that he kept moving east," Algorri said. "He put his arms forward towards her and she shot him."

The officer remains on paid administrative leave, said Chino spokeswoman Michelle Van Der Linden.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office will review the officer-involved shooting before deciding whether to file criminal charges against the Chino officer.