Task force arrests suspected gang members on I-10

Members of a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department task force took two suspected gang members into custody on Interstate 10 in Palm Desert over the weekend.

According to county jail records, Indio residents David Bustos, 20, and Christopher Mendez, 21 were taken into custody early Saturday morning on eastbound I-10 near Bob Hope Drive.

At 12:00 a.m., California Highway Patrol officers requested assistance from RSO’s Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Forces relating to a traffic stop made on the freeway.

The vehicle was stopped due to speed. During the stop, officers observed a .44 caliber revolver in the car and detained Mendez and Bustos.

Task force members responded and conducted an investigation relating to the firearm recovered and determined that Bustos was in possession of it.

Bustos was taken into custody at 3:42 a.m. on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and violation of parole. He is being held on no bail in Indio Jail, according to county jail records.

Mendez was taken into custody at 3:58 a.m. on suspicion of DUI. He was booked into Indio Jail and was released later that day.

KESQ