Suspect accused of shooting RivCo deputy in Thousand Palms pleads not guilty
The second of two men accused in a confrontation with sheriff's deputies that led to an exchange of gunfire, injuring a deputy and one of the suspects in Thousand Palms, pleaded not guilty today to felony charges.
Kristian Galeana, 27, and 34-year-old Jose Eduardo Rosales Perez of Desert Hot Springs are each charged with two felony counts of attempted murder on a peace officer along with one felony count each of being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm and possessing ammunition, according to court records. Galeana additionally faces two sentence-enhancing allegations of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury.
Galeana pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied the allegations Thursday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Rosales pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday morning.
Deputies from the Palm Desert sheriff's station responded at 7:08 p.m. Oct. 18 to in search of a felony hit-and-run suspect in the area of Ramon and Robert Roads, according to Sgt. Deirdre Vickers of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
Deputies stopped a vehicle with two people inside -- Rosales behind the wheel and Galeana the passenger.
"While detaining the driver of the vehicle, the passenger fired at deputies,'' prompting at least one deputy to open fire, Vickers wrote in a statement. "The suspect barricaded inside the vehicle and refused to follow commands."
One deputy was struck by gunfire and taken to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, Vickers said. The sheriff's department's Special Enforcement Bureau and the California Highway Patrol subsequently responded to the scene to assist with the barricaded suspect, who ultimately emerged from the vehicle and was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries suffered in the exchange of gunfire, according to Vickers.
The name of the injured deputy, who was still described as being stable and showing improvement, has not been released.
Both suspects were booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where they remain held on $1 million bail, according to inmate records.
According to Vickers, Galeana was booked in absentia while he was still hospitalized.
"The involved deputies will be placed on paid administrative leave according to Department policy,'' Vickers said. "Investigators from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office and the California Highway Patrol assigned to the Riverside Sheriff's Force Investigations Detail will lead this investigation."
Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to call Riverside County District Attorney investigator Mario Moreno at 951-955-9470.
