An armed parolee who was shot during a confrontation with Riverside police officers as they attempted to serve an arrest warrant must stand trial on felony evading and other charges, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Xavier Daniel Lopez, 29, of Riverside was wounded Jan. 26 by officers outside a home in the 4600 block of Tomlinson Avenue.
Following a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Randall Stamen found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the evading count, as well as resisting arrest, being a felon in possession of a firearm and brandishing a handgun at a peace officer.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for April 1 and kept the defendant’s bail set at $1 million.
According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, investigators tracked the convicted felon to a residence on Tomlinson, near Cook Avenue, where he had allegedly been staying since successfully eluding officers during a pursuit a week before.
Patrol units had tried to stop Lopez to arrest him based on a warrant connected to a 2019 vehicle theft case, on which he’d allegedly failed to appear in court. The defendant was able to speed away from his pursuers in the area of the Riverside (91) Freeway and Adams Street, according to Railsback.
He alleged when investigators and SWAT members approached Lopez at the Tomlinson property, the armed parolee resisted and was shot once. No officers were injured.
Lopez underwent surgery at Riverside Community Hospital, where he recuperated for two weeks before being booked into the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
According to court records, the defendant has prior convictions for receiving a stolen vehicle, assault with a gun and possession of controlled substances.