Man sentenced to four years in prison for involvement in Indio shooting

A 19-year-old man pleaded guilty today to three felony counts for his involvement in a gang-related shooting that wounded a passerby in Indio.

Jesse Hernandez and a 17-year-old juvenile were arrested Sept. 17, 2020, by detectives with the Indio Police Department and personnel from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office Gang Impact Team in Escondido, in San Diego County.

Hernandez was charged with three felony counts; being an accessory principal in felony to escape arrest/trial, being a person under 30 in possession of a firearm and criminal street gang activity.

He pleaded guilty to all three Tuesday and was immediately sentenced to four years in prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.  

The other person detained with Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of firing the shots and was expected to be charged with attempted murder. His name and further information were not released due to his age at the time of the incident, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Monica Arriaga, 23, admitted one count of being an accessory on Jan. 7, 2021, for helping the juvenile escape and was immediately sentenced to two years probation. Her probation ended March 18, 2021 for reasons unreleased by Riverside County's probation department in Indio.

On Aug. 19, 2020, at about 8:30 a.m., a married couple was driving past the K&A Market at 82-814 Avenue 44 in Indio when they heard somebody yelling, according to Indio Police Department spokesman Ben Guitron.  

They stopped their vehicle in front of the market before the shots rang out, Guitron said. The bullets struck the couple's vehicle, and one hit the woman in the passenger seat. She was rushed to an area hospital by an Indio Fire/Cal-Fire ambulance and survived. The couple's names were not released.

Guitron said the shooting was thought to be gang-related and involved people who "have been involved in other shootings in the area."