Man sentenced for role in shooting that injured deputy, suspect in Thousand Palms

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - A Desert Hot Springs man has been sentenced for his role in a shootout that ended with injuries to a deputy and suspect in a Thousand Palms business area in 2023.

Jose Eduardo Rosales Perez, 37, was sentenced to 7 years in prison after being convicted of accessory to escape arrest/trial and possession of a controlled substance, county court records show.

Rosales was previously charged with multiple other felonies, including attempted murder on a peace officer/firefighter, but those charges were dismissed. There was no additional information on why those charges were dropped; we've reached out to the District Attorney's office for more information.

Rosales' co-defendant, Kristian Galeana, 30, remains charged with two felony counts of attempted murder on a peace officer, along with one felony count each of being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm and possessing ammunition. He additionally faces two sentence-enhancing allegations of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury.

Galeana's trial is scheduled to start on September 9 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, court records confirmed. He remains in custody on $2 million bail.

The shooting happened on Oct. 18, 2023, in the area of Ramon Road and Robert Road. Deputies initially responded to the area in search of a felony hit-and-run suspect. Deputies stopped a vehicle with two people inside -- Perez behind the wheel and Galeana the passenger.

"While detaining the driver of the vehicle, the passenger fired at deputies, and a deputy-involved shooting occurred,'' a spokesperson for the Riverside County Sheriff's Office wrote at the time of the shooting. "The suspect barricaded inside the vehicle and refused to follow commands."

Galeana and a deputy were injured in the shooting. Galeana was booked into jail after being released from the hospital. There have been no updates on the deputy, but shortly after the shooting, they were described as being stable and showing improvement.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates on this case.