A preliminary hearing is scheduled next week for a 20-year-old man accused of shooting two boys at the end of a brawl in Palm Springs.
Felipe Vargas of Palm Springs was arrested last week following a Palm Springs Police Department investigation into the alleged October attack on the west end of the city.
Vargas was arraigned Monday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, pleading not guilty to two counts of attempted murder, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Arthur Hester tentatively scheduled a preliminary hearing for Jan. 16.
The hearing will determine if there is sufficient evidence for the defendant to stand trial.
Vargas is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
According to police, the shooting happened shortly before 10 p.m. Oct. 17 in the area of west Andreas Road and North Palm Canyon Drive.
A fracas involving multiple individuals led up to the gunfire, which left the two juvenile victims, whose identities were not disclosed, wounded, one critically. No specific details were provided about the confrontation.
The teens have since recovered, authorities said.
Detectives spent the ensuing two months gathering evidence, ultimately identifying Vargas as the alleged perpetrator. He was taken into custody without incident on Jan. 2 in Desert Hot Springs.
The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.