A trucker accused of opening fire on a motorist in Moreno Valley and fleeing into the Coachella Valley with a young girl in his rig made his initial court appearance Wednesday, but did not enter a plea.
Abdi J. Reynaldo, 32, of Florida was arrested last Thursday and faces one count each of attempted murder, shooting at a vehicle and wilful child cruelty, along with two counts of assault with a gun.
The defendant appeared before Riverside County Superior Court Judge O.G. Magno, who rescheduled his arraignment for Feb. 1 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Reynaldo remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.
California Highway Patrol Officer Juan Quintero said Reynaldo was traveling with a young girl — court papers list her age as 9 — at the time of the alleged shooting. Their relation to one another, if any, was unclear.
According to Quintero, Reynaldo was eastbound on the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway, passing Heacock Street, when he became enraged with a motorist for unspecified reasons about 5 p.m. Thursday.
The suspect allegedly pulled a handgun and fired two shots at the car, hitting it once, though the two occupants were not injured.
Quintero said the driver immediately began trailing the big rig as it continued east through the Badlands, eventually joining eastbound Interstate 10 in the San Gorgonio Pass.
The victim called 911, providing a description of the semi, but as the man was talking to dispatchers, his mobile phone signal dropped out, according to Quintero.
As the vehicles approached the Palm Springs area, the signal was re-established, and the motorist gave a position report on the truck, the CHP officer said. Multiple patrol units converged on the suspect as he reached the Bob Hope Drive near Rancho Mirage, where he was stopped and taken into custody without incident.
“Two handguns were located within the big rig,” Quintero said.
There was no word on where the trucker was headed or where his trip originated.
Reynaldo has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.