A gang member originally arrested in connection with a shooting that left a person wounded in Indio pleaded guilty Monday to a separate felony charge and was immediately sentenced to four years in state prison.
Gabriel Salazar, 36, of Salton City was arrested on Aug. 11 on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an April shooting reported in the area of Cardinal Avenue and Bobolink Street. Salazar has yet to be charged with that or any other shooting-specific crimes.
Salazar admitted to one count of possessing a controlled substance while armed and a sentence-enhancing allegation of participating in a criminal street gang.
Salazar was originally charged with nine felonies, including possessing a controlled substance for sale, which were dropped per the terms of the plea deal with prosecutors, according to John Hall, public information officer for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
According to the Indio Police Department, Indio police and other law enforcement agencies served four search warrants in Desert Hot Springs, Salton City and Indio on Aug. 11.
The search stemmed from a four-month investigation into the shooting that injured one person, who survived, police spokesman Ben Guitron said.
During the searches, police found three guns, including two reported stolen, along with “hundreds of rounds of ammunition, hundreds of M-30 oxycodone pills (which contain fentanyl) packaged for sales, and methamphetamine,” Guitron said.
Additional information about that shooting, including specifics about the defendant’s alleged involvement, have not been disclosed.
Salazar has documented felony convictions in Riverside County including evading arrest, vehicle theft and possessing a firearm while on probation.