A convicted felon accused of pistol-whipping and shooting a San Jacinto man was being sought by authorities Thursday after he missed a court hearing, prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Fernando Garcia Jr., 39, of San Jacinto is charged with firearm assault, assault with a deadly weapon, being a convicted felon in possession of a gun, violating a criminal protective order and a sentence-enhancing great bodily injury allegation for the alleged 2020 attack. He is also charged with child cruelty in connection with another case that was consolidated with the assault complaint.
Garcia had been scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing on Feb. 24 at the Banning Justice Center, but according to prosecutors, he did not show, prompting Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton to sign a bench warrant for his arrest and revoke the defendant’s $180,000 bond.
On April 30, 2020, Garcia was involved in an unspecified dispute with the victim, whose identity was not released, in the 800 block of Minor Street in San Jacinto.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. James Burton, during the confrontation, the defendant allegedly struck the man on the head with a handgun, then shot him in the back.
Deputies were alerted to the alleged shooting minutes later and went to the location, along with county fire department paramedics, who found the man seriously wounded, Burton said.
The victim was taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley, where he underwent surgery and ultimately recovered.
Detectives soon identified Garcia as the alleged assailant, and he was located less than two weeks later in Hemet, where he was taken into custody without incident.
According to court records, he has a misdemeanor disturbing the peace conviction in Riverside County and a felony conviction, which wasn’t specified, in another jurisdiction.
Information regarding the child abuse charge was unavailable.