Suspect identified after late night shooting at Guatemala Grill
According to police, Brian Arrellano Vital, 22, of Desert Hot Springs is in custody after a shooting occurred at Guatemala Grill in Cathedral City.
At around 2am on Sunday morning, Cathedral City Police say they received a 911 call from the security guard at Guatemala Grill, a restaurant and nightclub in 68100 area of Ramon Rd.
According to police, callers said a customer had taken a gun from the security guard and shot a woman in the parking lot.
Cathedral City Police say they responded and opened a criminal investigation. They say the bar was closing for the night and the armed, private security guard became involved in a physical fight with multiple patrons. During the fight, the security guard was disarmed by a male patron. The security guard followed the suspect with the gun while calling 911 but was threatened by the suspect to drop his phone or he would be shot.
According to police, a second dispute then started outside between other individuals. During this dispute, the suspect got involved, pistol whipping one woman and shooting another woman in the upper torso.
Police say the suspect and others then fled the scene in a car, which was followed by other witnesses who called 911. Cathedral City Police were able to track the vehicle to an AM/PM gas station at Palm Rd. and Paul Rd. in an unincorporated area of Riverside County near Interstate 10.
The suspect, all involved parties and the pistol were located with assistance from the Palm Springs Police department and th Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Police say the shooting victim, a 32-year-old woman from Desert Hot Springs, was treated at a local hospital and no further information is available on her condition at this time.
The primary suspect in the assault and shooting was identified and arrested for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon and remains in police custody.
The Cathedral City Police Department says the investigation is still in progress and they are asking the community for assistance – if you have information related to this incident or believe you have information, please contact Cathedral City Police Detectives at 760-770-0300, Detective Sergeant Rick Sanchez at 760-202-2488 or via the police dept. website at cathedralcitypolice.com.
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