Teen Arrested After Homeless Man Shot at Gas Station in Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – A homeless man was shot by a 17-year-old boy early Tuesday when he attempted to intervene in a domestic violence dispute, authorities said.

The teen was booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of attempted murder, resisting arrest and being a minor in possession of a firearm, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.

Officers responded to a gas station in the 3600 block of East Ramon Road at around 12:40 a.m. Tuesday to reports of a physical altercation between multiple people and shots fired.

What started as a domestic violence dispute quickly turned into a shooting when a man without a home attempted to intervene, according to police. He sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital.

No other injuries were reported.

As officers arrived on the scene, they saw a white SUV speed away, police said. The vehicle was stopped near Kirk Douglas Way, where the teenage driver allegedly attempted to run away while holding a handgun. He was later found hiding in some bushes along the fence of Palm Springs International Airport with the assistance of a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department helicopter, and surrendered after a K9 was deployed on a leash, authorities said.

An unidentified man and another juvenile who were inside the vehicle were also detained. The juvenile was later released to his grandmother and the man was booked into jail on suspicion of violating his parole.

Anyone with additional information about the domestic violence dispute or the shooting was asked to call the police department’s Investigations Unit at 760-323-8121 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 760-347-7867.

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