Armed Man Takes Clerk Hostage

A Coachella truck stop turned into a crime scene Monday evening when a man opened fire inside the travel center, then took an employee hostage.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Ken Reichle says at 8:57 p.m. an employee of the TA Travel Center on Dillon Road in Coachella, called police to report a suspicious person inside the travel center.

While on the phone with police, the clerk said it was actually a robbery. At that point, the suspect fired three times inside the store. People started running out of the building.

When police arrived, they found the suspect behind the counter, holding the clerk hostage. Reichle says the man released the clerk without incident, and no one was injured.

The suspect was taken into custody. His name has not been released.

The TA Travel Center will remain closed while forensics teams investigate.