Man found guilty of attacking Palm Springs motorists, bicyclist

A 29-year-old motorist who perpetrated a series of unexplained attacks on fellow drivers and one bicyclist throughout Palm Springs was convicted today of nearly a dozen charges.

After deliberating less than a day, a Riverside jury found Juaquin Mercer Moraga of Palm Springs guilty of three counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon, two counts each of misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor vandalism, and one count each of felony vandalism and misdemeanor battery.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Koosed scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 17 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Moraga is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

He was arrested in June 2022 following the assault frenzy, which the defense argued occurred while he was in the throes of paranoid delusions.   

According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, on the afternoon of June 6, 2022, the defendant engaged in a bizarre string of actions, targeting at least eight people.

The first attack occurred just after 1 p.m. in the area of North Palm Canyon Drive and Vista Chino Road, where 68-year-old David Knowlton and his 66-year-old companion, Mollie de la Cruz, were heading out of Palm Springs to return to Newport Beach.

Moraga began tailing them, then played the passing game, placing his silver Lexus GS immediately in front of Knowlton's car, forcing him to go around, prosecutors said. During this back-and-forth, Moraga threw objects at the vehicle, causing minor damage. When the victim pulled over to inspect the damage, the defendant stopped his Lexus in the same place, got out and shouted, "You're not getting away with this!'' the brief said.   

Knowlton feared for his and his companion's lives and attempted to speed away, but Moraga gave chase, prosecutors said. The defendant finally stopped at Overture Drive and threw a metal pipe at the rear of the victim's car as he headed toward Interstate 10. Moraga did not continue his pursuit onto the freeway.

The next round of roadway disturbances occurred between 6:40 p.m. 6:52 p.m.

Thomas Gintz, driving his Range Rover SUV southbound on Avenida Caballeros, was passing East Tahquitz Canyon when Moraga, standing on the shoulder of the road, swung a pole "at the passenger's side of the Range Rover, causing a dent on the rear passenger door,'' according to the brief.

When the victim stopped and got out of his SUV to check the damage, the defendant confronted him, yelling "you're not man enough'' to use a gun, court papers stated. Moraga then accelerated toward Gintz, who had to "jump out of the way'' to avoid being struck. He called 911.

Two minutes later, near Sunrise Way and Tahquitz Canyon, Alex Lee was in his Jeep Gladiator and encountered Moraga going northbound on Sunrise, and when the Jeep approached, the defendant "swerved into him,'' causing minor damage below the driver's side door, according to the prosecution. The victim called police and continued toward home.

Two minutes after that, at Sunrise and Ramon Road, Michael Maranhas, driving his convertible BMW with the top down, came across Moraga stopped in the middle of Ramon in his Lexus, forcing the victim to come to a stop, at which point the defendant threw his car into reverse and backed into the BMW twice, prosecutors said.   

The victim sat shocked when Moraga jumped out of his Lexus, ran back and hit him in the face, shouting,
"Don't you follow me!'' according to the brief.

Roughly three minutes later, a bicyclist, Christopher Hauser, riding in the 1300 block of East Barristo Road, near Palm Springs High School, was going westbound when he spotted Moraga's Lexus on the opposite side of the corridor. He told police the sedan suddenly accelerated, crossed over the median and came directly at him, going about 60 mph.   

"The bicyclist said he was required to take evasive action ... and jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the speeding vehicle,'' the brief said.

The victim called police as the Lexus sped away.

Two minutes later, George Sheer was at a 76 station on South Palm Canyon Drive, filling up a Toyota Highlander rental vehicle, when he was suddenly accosted by Moraga, who accused the victim of "following me,'' court papers said, adding the defendant kicked a dent in a rear side panel on the SUV
and sped away.   

The final attack occurred in the area Sunny Dunes Road and Ramon. Prosecutors said John Lindstrom was at the wheel of a Volvo when he spotted Moraga ``standing in the middle'' of South Camino Real. As he passed the defendant's location, Moraga jumped into his Lexus and started chasing Lindstrom. Using evasive maneuvers, he was able to avoid contact with Moraga, whose actions caused a separate collision.

Police officers stopped the defendant, who has no prior felony convictions, and took him into custody without incident moments later.   

According to the defense's trial brief, psychiatric examinations indicated Moraga was suffering "major depressive disorder," "cannabis use disorder'' and post-traumatic stress disorder at the time.

"The (offenses) occurred when he was having paranoid delusions,'' the attorneys wrote. "He thought the victims were attempting to investigate him."