22-year-old charged in late-night Palm Springs shooting pleads not guilty
A 22-year-old man suspected in a late-night shooting that injured two people in Palm Springs pleaded not guilty today to attempted murder and assault with a gun.
Joel Ramirez Benitez of Palm Springs was additionally charged with one felony count of assault with a gun, according to court records. He also faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of causing great bodily injury.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied the allegation Friday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Officers responded at 10:25 p.m. Tuesday to reports of a shooting in the 2600 block of East Tahquitz Canyon Way, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. Two people were shot and sustained non life-threatening gunshot wounds.
No other information was immediately available. Police said officers are still trying to determine the motive for the shooting.
Benitez was arrested early Wednesday morning near North Indian Canyon Drive, according to inmate records. He was subsequently booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he remains held on $1 million bail.
Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to call the department's investigations division at 760-323-8021 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 760-347-7867.
