College of the Desert student charged with Palm Desert break-in

A College of the Desert student who allegedly took part in a Palm Desert break-in that ended with the fatal shooting of a COD football player by a sheriff’s deputy was charged today with robbery and burglary.

Dyrenell Kardia Robinson, 20, of Palm Desert, was arrested about 5:40 p.m. Thursday in connection with a Feb. 23 robbery at an apartment complex in the 77000 block of Michigan Drive, sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Borja said.

Robinson pleaded not guilty during his arraignment at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. He was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail and is due back in court Friday for a felony settlement conference.

One of the three suspects in the break-in, 20-year-old Frank Tanuvasa, jumped a deputy while fleeing the robbery scene and was fatally shot in the chest in the ensuing struggle, Borja said.

Another suspect, former COD football player Roman Tausaga, 22, pleaded not guilty to robbery and burglary charges last week and was being held in lieu of $1 million bail. He is due back in court Monday for a preliminary hearing.

Farley Herzek, vice president of academic affairs for COD, said Robinson is a COD student. He showed an interest in the football team and may have exercised with the players, but was never on the roster, Herzek said.

Borja said the first deputy who arrived at the scene of the robbery saw three men dressed in dark clothing running from the area. He chased them on foot until they separated, and followed two suspects who ran west on Michigan Street. He lost sight of them as they ran around an apartment building, Borja said.

“As the officer turned the corner of the apartment building he was attacked without warning by one of the two fleeing suspects,” later identified as Tanuvasa, Borja said.

“During the next several moments, the officer was engaged in a life-or- death struggle with a much larger and stronger Tanuvasa,” Borja said.

During the fight, Tanuvasa struck the officer with his fist, dislocating the officer’s shoulder. He “(dragged) the officer to the ground and made numerous attempts to take his duty weapon from his holster. The officer was ultimately able to maintain control of his handgun and shot Tanuvasa in self- defense, fearing for his life,” Borja said.

Tanuvasa, a 6-foot-6, 370-pound sophomore from Anchorage, Alaska, received a single gunshot wound to the chest and later died at Eisenhower Medical Center, Borja said.