Cathedral City Police on arrest of second suspect in Dollar Tree fight: He 'attempted to shoot the victim at point-blank range'

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Chief of Police George Crum | Cathedral City Police Department website

Cathedral City Police have confirmed the arrest of a second suspect in an attempted murder case involving shots fired after a fight broke out in a local Dollar Tree. 

Detectives got a tip Thursday which allowed them to locate an outstanding suspect in the June 4 fight, a man considered armed and dangerous, a Patch article reports. Consequently, they arrested David Anthony William Garcia, 22, of Desert Hot Springs at a residence in Beaumont where he was allegedly hiding.

In a joint effort with the Riverside County Gang Impact Team, Cathedral City Police Department (CCPD) detectives served a search warrant on the Beaumont residence and took Garcia into custody without incident. He was lodged at the Larry D. Smith Detention Center on attempted murder and other felony charges, Patch said.

Cathedral City police had called upon the community to help locate the shooter after the altercation occurred at 3:29 p.m. on June 4, a department news release said. It was a tip that got Garcia out of hiding and into custody, Patch reports.

According to police, a customer inside the Dollar Tree on Date Palm Drive was confronted by a Hispanic male positively identified as David Anthony William Garcia who brandished a firearm. Not only did Garcia allegedly pistol-whip the customer, but the news release said he followed the 18-year-old victim out of the store and fired six rounds, striking him several times. 

CCPD Sgt. Jeffrey Barnett said in a report that a fight ensued after Garcia brandished a gun and the teen lunged for the weapon with Garcia being assisted by one of two female suspects, Leah Lelani Lopez.

"After fighting for the gun for approximately 2 to 3 minutes, the suspects and victim reached a stalemate and agreed to stop fighting," Barnett said. "The victim attempted to shake the suspect's hand, but the suspect retrieved the gun out of his pants and attempted to shoot the victim at point-blank range," he said. The gun couldn't discharge because the magazine fell out, which Barnett said, led to a second fight over the magazine during which the victim was pistol-whipped in the head. 

During this incident, Barnett said, Garcia was accompanied by two female suspects who have been positively identified as Lopez and Marie Ashee Verest. Garcia fled the scene and was not home when detectives executed a search warrant there, however, police reported they did find any evidence from the crime.

Although Garcia managed to spend days in hiding, another arrest related to the attempted homicide came sooner. Riverside County Sheriff's Office arrested Lopez the same night as the shooting for unrelated crimes and booked her at the Larry D. Smith Detention Center. Subsequently, Lopez has been charged with attempted murder and other felonies.

Meanwhile, the CCPD is calling upon the community once more to arrest a third suspect, identified as Verest. Anyone who knows her whereabouts should contact the department at 760-770-0300, Detective Luis Lomboy at 760-770-0355 or submit a tip via email or through the department's website. For those who wish to stay anonymous, there is also the option of offering a tip via Coachella Valley Crime Stoppers at 760-341-STOP or through the WeTip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME.