Accused strip club shooting getaway driver at large, two suspected shooters in custody

Police are searching for a third man suspected of participating in an early morning shooting on Wednesday in a Cathedral City strip club parking lot, but have two men in custody.

Police Chief Travis Walker said the arrests of Christian Orlando Miramontes, 24, and Manuel Adolfo Vargas, 30, were made after search warrants were served by the Desert Regional SWAT team in Indio and Coachella on Wednesday night. Miramontes was arrested in Coachella on Friday afternoon, and Vargas was arrested Thursday afternoon in Indio. Vargas is being held without bail.

Walker identified Miramontes and Vargas as the gunmen, and said the getaway driver, Guillermo Gomez, 22, was still at large. “Gomez is considered armed and dangerous,” said Walker. “If you see him, call 9-1-1.”

Jason Rosas, 24, of Indio, was shot and killed in the parking lot outside Showgirls Gentlemen’s Club on Perez Road just after 1:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. The shooting resulted from a fight between two rival Indio gangs that started inside the Club, and concluded outside when the participants were asked to leave. Walker said the other two victims, ages 28 and 30, are continuing to recover at a local hospital.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has Information is encouraged to contact Cathedral City police Detective Heather Olsen at 760-770-0398, or Sergeant Rick Sanchez at (760)-202-2488. Information can also be relayed anonymously by calling Valley Crimestoppers at 760-341-STOP.

Extended Criminal History

“It’s frustrating as a police chief to continue to investigate crimes committed by those people who should still be serving sentences for crimes that they’ve previously committed,” said Walker.

Miramontes was released from custody and on placed on Post Release Community Supervision on May 26, 2018, less than three weeks before the shooting. Court records show he was charged with kidnapping and committing corporal injury on a spouse in 2015 in an incident that took place in Indio. He took a plea deal the following year and was sentenced to prison.

However, while out on bail from the 2015 incident, Miramontes was charged with illegally carrying a loaded gun. He admitted to the charge as part of the plea deal in 2016. Miramontes was prohibited, by law, from owning or possessing any firearms, said Walker.

“It’s disappointing to continue to see people who are prohibited from having access to firearms, still using them to injure members of our community. These are well established laws that we should be more stringently enforcing.”

In 2013 Miramontes was also arrested in Cathedral City on domestic violence charges, but the charges were reduced in a plea deal, and he was sentenced to three years of probation.