An ex-con accused of shooting at law enforcement officers while trying to elude capture near downtown Riverside was charged today with assault with a deadly weapon and other felonies.
Luis Fernando Diaz
Luis Fernando Diaz, 35, of Fontana, could face more than 25 years in prison if convicted of three counts of assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury and one count each of possession of illegal drugs and resisting arrest.
The defendant, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, is a three-strike felon, according to court documents.
He was slated to make his initial court appearance this afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Around 8 p.m. Saturday, deputies were alerted to a possible road rage confrontation in Jurupa Valley and discovered the vehicle identified in the incident near Brockton Avenue and Mission Inn Boulevard in Riverside.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Justin Rowan said as deputies approached the driver of the car, he took off running, opening fire on the deputies as they closed in on him. The defendant ran north, and deputies lost sight of him.
According to Rowan, a witness informed Riverside police that Diaz was hiding in a vacant house at 4278 Mission Inn Ave.
Deputies and police officers surrounded the property and ordered Diaz — who had crawled underneath the house — to surrender, to which they received no response, Rowan said.
Around 11 p.m., a sheriff’s K9 deputy set his dog loose to flush Diaz out, resulting in the defendant being bitten and immediately giving up, according to Rowan.
Diaz received medical treatment and was later booked into jail. No law enforcement officers, including the dog, were injured.
According to court documents, Diaz was convicted in 2004 of operating a chop shop where stolen vehicles were disassembled and in 2006 was convicted of transporting illegal drugs into the state, as well as felony reckless driving.
He served time for both convictions.
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