An 18-year-old man who was arrested with a teenage boy on suspicion of firearm possession in Indio was released on $35,000 bond Friday.
Joshua Perez of Thousand Palms was arrested Thursday on suspicion of child endangerment, being in possession of a loaded concealed firearm, and being a gang member with a gun, according to Sgt. Paul Heredia of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Heredia said the Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force and assisting deputies attempted to stop a sedan leaving a residence in the 83000 block of Beverly Court, but instead of stopping, the driver of the vehicle attempted to flee.
A short pursuit ensued before the vehicle yielded and the three occupants were taken into custody — Perez, a 16-year-old boy, and the alleged driver, Abraham Ruiz, 28, of Indio, according to Heredia. During the stop, Perez was allegedly found in possession of a concealed and loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
Task Force officers, the Coachella Community Action Team, and the La Quinta Special Enforcement Team subsequently served a search warrant at the residence the group was leaving and allegedly found a loaded, non-serialized .223-caliber AR pistol, Heredia said. The teen, who is a previously convicted felon and on active juvenile probation, was allegedly the owner of the AR pistol.
The teen was booked into Juvenile Hall in Indio on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in possession a non-serialized gun, a gang member in possession of a firearm and a juvenile in possession of a firearm, according to Heredia. Ruiz was cited for evading and was released from custody.