Man, 20, charged with firing at vehicle, throwing bottles
Felony charges were filed today against a 20-year-old man suspected of throwing bottles at a woman, then firing his gun into an occupied vehicle in an unincorporated area of Riverside County near North Shore.
David Lemus of North Shore was charged with one felony count of shooting at a vehicle and three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon to cause great bodily injury, according to court records.
He was set to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Patrol units of the Thermal sheriff's station responded at 6:24 p.m. May 19 near Bay Drive and Miramar Drive to a report of a shooting at an occupied vehicle, according to Sgt. David Koedyker of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
"The driver of the vehicle observed the suspect arguing with a female and throwing bottles at her,'' Koedyker said in a statement. "When the driver of the vehicle attempted to assist, the suspect pulled out a handgun and fired a single round into the vehicle, occupied by the driver and two additional juveniles."
The Thermal station's Special Investigations Unit assumed the investigation and subsequently identified Lemus as the suspect, according to Koedyker. He was arrested June 15, when a search warrant was served at his residence in the 70000 block of North Shore Drive.
He was subsequently booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he remains held on $1 million bail.
Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to call Corporal McTigue of the Thermal sheriff's station at 760-863-2813 or Valley Crime Stoppers anonymously at 760-341-7867.
