DESERT HOT SPRINGS- After flagging down a car and attempting to steal the vehicle at gunpoint, a Desert Hot Springs felon was taken into custody.
On Monday in an unincorporated county area of Desert Hot Springs near Avenida Manzana and Camino Campesino a driver was waved to a halt by a man in the road. The driver reported that once he stopped, the pedestrian opened the door to his vehicle and brandished a gun. The suspect then demanded that the driver relinquish the vehicle. When the victim refused, the suspect grabbed property from inside the vehicle and ran away from the scene.
At around 2:35 PM, deputies from the Palm Desert Station responded to the victim’s report of experiencing an armed robbery and attempted carjacking . Members of the Palm Desert Burglary Suppression Unit (BSU) also responded to the scene, assisting patrol personnel. Further investigation into the scene and the crime led authorities to believe that the suspect was 18-year-old Elijah Long, a Desert Hot Springs resident.
Authorities were familiar with Long and according to Sergeant Aaron Eller, the suspect was known to frequent the 66000 block of Joshua Court in Desert Hot Springs at a property which was very near to the scene of the crime. Officers put the residence under surveillance and several hours later spotted Long exiting.
Long was taken into custody without incident and the property was searched. At this time deputies discovered a handgun. During a follow-up search, the officers were also able to locate ammunition and what they believed to be stolen identifications.
Long was arrested for armed robbery, attempted carjacking, and for being a felon in possession of ammunition. He was booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio.
Read More:
Desert Sun: Desert Hot Springs man arrested in attempted carjacking
KESQ: Man arrested after attempted carjacking
