Man charged with stabbing motorist in Palm Springs parking garage

INDIO (CNS) - A 38-year-old man accused of stabbing a motorist in a Palm Springs parking garage was charged today with premeditated attempted murder.

Francisco Elias Jr. of Bermuda Dunes was arrested Wednesday following a three-day Palm Springs Police Department investigation.

Elias, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Benoit Detention Center, was slated to make his initial court appearance Friday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

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According to police, shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday, the defendant and victim, identified only as a local man, were involved in an unspecified conflict that went unresolved, culminating in another altercation minutes later in a downtown parking structure at 275 S. Indian Canyon Drive.

``During the second altercation, the suspect produced a knife and stabbed the victim,'' according to a PSPD statement. ``The victim sustained stab wounds to his neck and upper torso.''

Elias fled the scene immediately afterward, authorities alleged.

First responders arrived at the parking garage within minutes and found the victim in critical condition.

He was taken to nearby Desert Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and stabilized.
   He's expected to recover.

``During the investigation, officers obtained a description of the suspect and determined that he had fled the scene in a white Mercedes-Benz,'' the police department stated.

That clue led to identification of Elias as the alleged perpetrator, and an arrest warrant was obtained. On Wednesday afternoon, officers located the defendant on Calle Rosarita at the north end of La Quinta, where he was taken into custody without incident.

He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.