Two Adelanto men have been charged with attempted murder as additional suspects in a car-to-car shooting at a Palm Desert shopping mall last month.
Since the crime occurred on Feb. 2, forcing the shutdown of the mall and damaging a store window, the Palm Desert Investigations Bureau has been working to identify those responsible for what authorities say is gang-related violence.
During the course of this investigation, the Palm Desert Investigations Bureau identified two additional suspects in this shooting, according to an updated press release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Taken into custody with the help of the Riverside County Gang Impact Team, those suspects have been named as Allen Adams and Alexander Alvarado, both age 19 and residing in Adelanto, according to Deputy Travis Mountz.
The arrest came about on March 22, when the Palm Desert Investigations Bureau and Riverside County Gang Impact Team executed a search warrant in the 11100 block of Hyattsville Street in Adelanto. Both suspects have been booked at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on attempted murder charges.
"Thankfully, no one was injured during the incident," Mountz wrote, describing the scene of the crime as a populated shopping area in the 72-800 block of Highway 111 in the city of Palm Desert. With more than 40 rounds fired, safety was a real concern.
In addition to last week's arrests of the two Adelanto men, investigators have detained two persons of interest from Desert Hot Springs and executed several search warrants.
According to News Channel 3, the incident was first reported at approximately 2 p.m. with shots fired between JC Penney and Buffalo Wild Wings, damaging at least one of JC Penney's windows. To safeguard the many shoppers that could be in the mall at that time of day, authorities shut down the premises for a time as a result of the shooting.
This ongoing investigation has involved several branches of California law enforcement.