Felony charges filed against man accused in La Quinta armed robbery

Nearly a dozen felony charges were filed today against a felon accused of taking part in a violent armed robbery inside the gated community that houses the Arnold Palmer PGA West golf course in La Quinta.

Luis Jose Leyva Jr., 32, of Desert Hot Springs was arrested last Friday on suspicion of joining three other suspects in carrying out the Dec. 20 robbery in the 79000 block of Olympia Fields.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the robbers bashed the victims' heads with guns, rendering the two men unconscious, prior to stealing their possessions and fleeing the scene.

The investigation led deputies to the 66000 block of First Street in Desert Hot Springs, where Leyva was taken into custody. Details regarding what led investigators to pinpoint Leyva as a suspect were not released.

The other suspects have not been arrested, and their names, if known, were not made public.

Leyva, who's being held in lieu of $35,000 bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Wednesday on 13 felony charges, including six counts of robbery and two counts each of assault with a semi-automatic firearm and assault with a gun.

He also faces sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

Leyva has prior felony convictions in Riverside County including burglary and vehicle theft, court records show.