A 17-year-old landed behind bars after shooting a homeless man who tried to intervene in a domestic violence occurrence outside of a Palm Springs gas station, Palm Springs Police Department said in a news release.
"During the incident, an unhoused individual tried to intervene, but was shot by the 17-year-old," according to the release, which described the gunshot wound as not life-threatening but in need of treatment at a local hospital.
Reports of shots fired and a multi-person physical altercation at the gas pumps on Tuesday, March 28, are what led officers to the scene on the 3600 block of E. Ramon Road. Their investigation confirmed that a domestic violence incident started the confrontation involving the homeless man who stepped in to help.
Although the teenager ran off after Tuesday's shooting, he was apprehended with the assistance of Riverside County Sheriff's Office helicopter Star 9 and Palm Springs Police Department canine Hylas, according to the release. With help from Star 9, which located the teen hiding along the airport fence in some bushes, officers got him to surrender through an encounter with Hylas, who was deployed on a leash, police said.
Initially, officers spotted the suspect speeding from the scene in a white SUV, eastbound on Airport Center Drive. They stopped the SUV just west of Kirk Douglas Way, but the teen fled on foot holding a handgun, the release said. Establishing a perimeter in the area, officers detained the SUV's other occupants, which included one adult and one youth, the release said.
Attempted murder is just one of the charges the 17-year-old faces now that he has been booked into Juvenile Hall; the other charges include resisting arrest and minor in possession of a firearm, according to the release. The adult male passenger who shared the SUV with the shooting suspect has been taken to the Indio Jail for a parole charge, the release said, but a second juvenile was released to his grandmother with no charges at present.
As officers investigate the domestic violence incident, they seek information from the public, which can be shared with the Palm Springs Police Investigations Division at 760-323-8121 or anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 760-347-7867.