La Quinta man pleads guilty to gunpoint car carjacking

One of two gang members accused of stealing a vehicle from a motorist at gunpoint in Thermal pleaded guilty today.   

Jose Luis Martinez, 28, and David Luis Baker, 44, both of La Quinta, allegedly committed the carjacking on Dec. 9, 2020 in the 66000 block of Martinez Road in the unincorporated community.

Martinez and Baker are both charged with one count of carjacking and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a firearm during the commission of a felony. Baker is additionally charged with robbery.

During a hearing Friday at the Larson Justice Center, Martinez pleaded guilty to the carjacking charge and had his sentence-enhancing allegations stricken. Baker maintained his not guilty plea and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 8.

Both men remain in custody, Martinez on $250,000 bail and Baker on $1 million bail.

According to Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Mariano Matos III, the defendants were arrested during the execution of a search warrant in the 46000 block of Dune Palms Road in La Quinta.

Matos said the two are documented street gang members with felony convictions.

Baker's convictions include assault with a gun and willful child cruelty, and Martinez's include burglary and battery causing serious bodily injury