Crime

A San Bernardino man who shot his girlfriend, who was found wounded in his car along with their uninjured baby when he was pulled over in Cathedral City, was sentenced today to 34 years to life in state prison. Willie Roy Smith III, 29, shot the victim in San Bernardino on May 7, 2016, then

A woman has been arrested for her alleged involvement in a deadly shooting earlier this year near the Indio-Coachella border. Martha Espinoza, 40, of Coachella was arrested on Thursday in the 47000 block of Arabia Street for her involvement as an accessory to murder, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The murder occurred on February 21,

A man wanted by police for a deadly shooting last month was arrested Thursday evening in Indio. Robert Ruiz, 30, of Indio was arrested on the 83800 block of Tierra Court, near Avenue 44 and Golf Center Parkway at approximately 7:50 p.m. Robert Ruiz Many viewers in the area called the KESQ News Channel 3

Desert Hot Springs Police confirmed a shooting investigation was underway Thursday morning in the city and that they’d found an abandoned car with a bullet hole in it. A spokeswoman, Doria Wilms, told KESQ News Channel 3 officers were on the scene on West Drive between First Street and 2nd Street. West Drive was closed

Murder and other charges were filed today against a 31-year-old convicted felon accused of gunning down a man earlier this year near Indio. Ruben Corria Esquivel Jr. of Coachella was arrested last Friday after an hours-long standoff near Mecca with sheriff’s deputies who were serving an arrest warrant following a five-month investigation into the killing

Four men previously convicted in the murder of a retired Palm Springs art dealer will each represent themselves in their retrial. Kaushal Niroula, Daniel Garcia, Miguel Bustamante, and David Replogle made their first court appearance in June. All four are serving life sentences in the brutal murder of Clifford Lambert, 74, for financial gain. Clifford

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office released the identity of the man found dead inside a burning vehicle in Thermal last week. Authorities were initially called to a vehicle fire call at around 1:40 a.m. on July 18 in the area of Avenue 57 and Pierce Street. A body was found inside the vehicle after the

A young man who allegedly injured an officer while resisting arrest and another man were behind bars today following a traffic stop, during which Palm Springs police said they found two loaded guns. Leo Capatin, 20, of Palm Springs, was taken into custody Sunday night and booked at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed on Monday that the suspect in an hours-long standoff on Friday was wanted in connection with a homicide. Ruben Esquivel, 31, of Coachella was arrested Friday night in Thermal. Esquivel swarmed the area of 70th Avenue and Pierce Street in Thermal Friday beginning at around 4:24 p.m. Esquivel remained

A barricaded suspect has been taken into custody after holding up in a Thermal mobile home for hours on Friday. According to the Riverside County Sheriff Department, the suspect identified as 31 year old Ruben Esquivel, a resident of Coachella, surrendered peacefully around 8:30 Friday night. Esquivel was arrested on a felony assault warrant. The

Investigations were underway today into two shootings reported about a mile apart in Palm Springs, including one in which a man was wounded, police said. The first shooting was reported at 4:15 p.m. Thursday in the 1500 Block of East San Rafael Drive, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. Police responding to a shots-fired

El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a man suspected of attempting to smuggle 119 packages of methamphetamine found hidden inside gift-wrapped presents. The discovery was made when a Border Patrol agent conducted a traffic stop on a 2003 Brown Toyota Tundra on Thursday at 3:50 p.m. According to a news release by Border Patrol,

A Coachella man who repeatedly stabbed his 31-year-old ex-girlfriend outside her home after she broke up with him was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Carlos Antonio Mendoza, 41, was convicted in March of first-degree murder for the March 20, 2016, killing of Cecilia Silva. Jurors also found true a

Still of the suspect vehicle taken from surveillance video The family of a man killed while crossing the street in Cathedral City over the weekend are asking for the public’s help in identifying the vehicle that fled the scene. Rafael Valdez Felix was struck and killed by a vehicle Saturday at approximately 8:18 in the

(From Left to Right) Aaron Fernando Bernal, Eric Rios, and Adilene Ines The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department arrested three more suspects believed to have been involved in the murder of Audrey Moran and Jonathon Reynoso. Aaron Fernando Bernal, 28, of Indio and Eric Rios, 31, of Coachella were arrested on Tuesday, July 21. According to