Crime

Nearly a dozen felony charges were filed today against a La Quinta man accused of stabbing a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy in the leg during a scuffle in Palm Desert. Christian Matthew Choi, 50, is charged with 10 felony counts, including two counts of attempted murder on a peace officer. He also faces charges of

Saturday marks two months since a 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in Palm Springs, and a man wanted for questioning in the case is still being sought by police. James Bernard of Twentynine Palms was attacked about 4:15 a.m. Feb. 3 in the 300 block of South Palm Canyon Drive, near West Baristo Road. He

A 25-year-old felon was sentenced today to 40 years to life in state prison for gunning down a Palm Desert man during an argument at a gas station. Conrado Pizarro Kurtis Knigge of La Quinta was 18 years old when he opened fire on 26- year-old Conrado Pizarro in the parking lot of a Shell

One person was arrested following a standoff at an an apartment complex in Palm Desert where a wanted suspect has barricaded themselves inside. The standoff was at the Palm Palace Apartments located on the 74000 block of Alessandro Drive, near De Anza Way and Portola Avenue. Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputies said that the person surrendered

Authorities today publicly identified a 27-year-old woman found dead from a gunshot wound at an Indio motel. Patrol officers were sent to City Center Motel, located at 83-597 Indio Blvd., about 7:50 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Indio Police Department. Officers found Ashley Brito of Thousand Palms dead at the location. Police would not comment

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department released the 911 recording and body cam footage of a deputy involved shooting that killed the founder of the Joshua Tree Coffee Company in Indian Wells. The shooting happened on February 15, 2021 inside the gates of the Desert Horizons Country Club, located near Rancho Palmeras Drive and Highway 111.

A ride-hailing driver pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at a Palm Desert resort. Ismael Gaspar of Cathedral City pleaded guilty to one count each of burglary and committing lewd acts with a child under 14 years old, and two counts each of oral copulation of a minor under 14 years old and

Attempted murder and gang-related charges were filed today against an 18-year-old man accused in a shooting that injured a woman and a juvenile at a Cathedral City park. Ivan Raya-Reynoso of Cathedral City and an underage suspect are accused in the shooting that was reported at 6:50 p.m. last Friday at Ocotillo Park, 33300 Moreno

Andres Martinez Pita Jr. got the call overnight Monday that his dad, Andres Martinez, had been shot and killed at Desert Hot Springs Mobile Home Park. “It’s crazy; I’m still in disbelief,” Martinez said. “My dad was a very good guy. He was always looking out for people, and to me it was random.” A GoFundMe

A Mexicali man was charged in federal court with organizing the smuggling event that led to a crash between an SUV and a semi-truck that killed 13 people near Holtville, California on March 2, 2021. The SUV was carrying 25 people at the time of the crash. Some, including the driver of the semi-truck, were

A Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy has been taken to the hospital after being stabbed in the leg with a knife in Palm Desert Tuesday afternoon. The stabbing happened near the area of Lupine Lane and El Paseo in Palm Desert at around 1:15 p.m. Deputies were in the area searching for a suspect who was

A Desert Hot Springs couple accused of illegally manufacturing weapons and explosives pleaded guilty to some — but not all — of the charges against them today and were immediately sentenced to probation. Kevin Boykin, 21, and Naomi Medina, 22, were arrested in June 2019 following a Desert Hot Springs Police Department investigation that stemmed

A convicted felon suspected of leading deputies on a pursuit that began and ended on the Morongo Indian Reservation where he shot at them and ultimately barricaded himself in a home for hours until giving up, was being held without bail today. The man, a 52-year-old from Banning was arrested and booked into the Smith

The brother of a Palm Springs woman police said was killed in her home is offering a cash reward, trying to keep the investigation alive. Tom Dillon is now offering $25,000 in exchange for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in the unexplained killing of his older sister, Jenny Dillon. “Someone out there

An ex-con was convicted today of attempted murder for shooting a man in the head over a missing cellphone in Indio last March. An Indio jury deliberated one day before finding John Kevin Medina, 40, of Indio guilty of the felony count, and finding true several gun and bodily injury sentence-enhancing allegations. Riverside County Superior