Two Men Suspected in Car-to-Car Shooting at Palm Desert Mall Plead Not Guilty

INDIO (CNS) – Two young men suspected in a car-to-car shooting in the parking lot of The Shops in Palm Desert pleaded not guilty to felony charges Friday.

Adelanto residents Allen Curcio Adams Jr., 19, and Alexander Brice Alvarado, 20, were charged with four felony counts of attempted murder and one felony count each of shooting at a vehicle dwelling and being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm, according to court records. The victims were identified in court documents only by their initials "A.R.," "M.R.," "P.G." and "G.R."

Each defendant pleaded not guilty to all charges Friday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Mountz said that deputies from the Palm Desert station responded around 2 p.m. on Feb. 2 to reports of shots fired at the mall in the 72-800 block of Highway 111. Shortly after, the sheriff’s station alerted the public that a shooting occurred in the south parking lot of the mall.

"Based on the investigation, it is believed the incident was a car-to- car, gang-related shooting, with over 40 rounds fired," Mountz said in a statement. "Thankfully, no one was injured during the incident."

The same day, two "people of interest" from Desert Hot Springs were detained and several search warrants were served for the ongoing investigation, according to Mountz.

"The two detained the night of the incident were later determined to be possible victims," a spokesperson with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department told City News Service. "As a result, they were released, and no charges were filed against them."

The Palm Desert Investigations Bureau subsequently identified Adams and Alvarado as suspects in the shooting and on Wednesday, investigators and the Riverside County Gang Impact Team served a search warrant in the 11100 block of Hyattsville Street in Adelanto, Mountz said.

Following the search, Adams and Alvarado were arrested and later booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where they remain held on $250,000 bail.

Anyone with additional information regarding the shooting was encouraged to contact investigator William Hickok at 760-836-1600.

Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.