Attempted murder and other felony charges were filed Tuesday against a trucker accused of opening fire on a motorist in Moreno Valley while traveling with a young girl in his rig.
Abdi J. Reynaldo of Florida was arrested last Thursday in the Coachella Valley. Along with attempted murder, the 32-year-old defendant is charged with two counts of assault with a gun and one count each of shooting at a vehicle and wilful child cruelty.
Reynaldo, who remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta, is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
California Highway Patrol Officer Juan Quintero said Reynaldo was traveling with a young girl — court papers list her age as 9 — at the time of the alleged shooting. Their relation to one another, if any, was unclear.
According to Quintero, Reynaldo was eastbound on the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway, passing Heacock Street, when he became enraged with a motorist for unspecified reasons about 5 p.m. Thursday.
The suspect allegedly pulled a handgun and fired two shots at the car, hitting it once, though the two occupants were not injured.
Quintero said the driver immediately began trailing the big rig as it continued east through the Badlands, eventually joining eastbound Interstate 10 in the San Gorgonio Pass.
The victim called 911, providing a description of the semi, but as the man was talking to dispatchers, his mobile phone signal dropped out, according to Quintero.
As the vehicles approached the Palm Springs area, the signal was re-established, and the motorist gave a position report on the truck, the CHP officer said. Multiple patrol units converged on the suspect as he reached the Bob Hope Drive near Rancho Mirage, where he was stopped and taken into custody without incident.
“Two handguns were located within the big rig,” Quintero said.
There was no word on where the trucker was headed or where his trip originated.
Reynaldo has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
Mynewsla.com • Contributed
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