La Quinta man charged in alleged stabbing of Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy

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 robbery, resisting an executive officer and assault with a deadly weapon, along with several weapon and great bodily injury sentence-enhancing allegations.

Choi, who remains jailed on $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon.

Choi was arrested last Tuesday in the area of El Paseo and Lupine Lane following the alleged altercation that left the deputy with a non-life- threatening stab wound.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, deputies were sent to the location about 1:15 p.m. looking for a man who was assaulting shoppers in the area of Highway 111 and Las Palmas Avenue.

Sgt. Christopher Ternes said deputies spotted Choi and when they attempted to approach him, he allegedly began to fight with the deputies.

"The suspect armed himself with a knife and stabbed one of the deputies in the leg,'' Ternes alleged.

Deputies unsuccessfully attempted to subdue the suspect using stun guns, according to the sergeant. Choi allegedly tried to stab the deputy again before they managed to get him into custody, he said.

The deputy, whose gender and name were withheld, was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released.

Choi was transported to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries.

A knife was recovered at the scene and booked into evidence, Ternes said. At the time of his most recent arrest, Choi had a bench warrant for his arrest in a misdemeanor case from February that includes trespassing, vandalism and resisting arrest charges.

Choi has no documented felony convictions in Riverside County.