RIVERSIDE (CNS) - A 23-year-old man accused of opening fire on a Riverside County sheriff's deputy on patrol in south Moreno Valley was charged today with attempted murder of a peace officer and other felonies.
Jacob Gonzalez was arrested Tuesday, about 24 hours after he allegedly targeted the deputy, who escaped injury, near the intersection of Cactus Avenue and Graham Street, just north of the March Air Reserve Base.
Along with the attempted murder count, Gonzalez is charged with shooting at an occupied vehicle, assault with a firearm and a sentence- enhancing allegation of using a gun in the commission of a felony.
He's being held in lieu of $1.1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning and is slated to make his initial court appearance this afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to sheriff's Sgt. William Stens, a deputy patrolling the area of Cactus and Graham came under fire from the occupant of a passing vehicle about 4 p.m. Monday. One bullet struck the patrol unit, he said.
Detectives relied on video from the City-Wide Camera System to identify the driver who fired the shot, and on Tuesday afternoon, deputies staked out the area of Alessandro Boulevard and Ellsworth Street, waiting for the suspect to leave his residence, according to the sergeant.
Gonzalez was stopped and arrested without incident about 5 p.m.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
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