A Twentynine Palms man was arrested for investigation into the murder of a man with his dog at Knott’s Sky Park.
The Sheriff’s Department says that at 7:49 p.m. Monday (May 21), deputies from the Morongo Basin Station responded to a report of four or five men drinking alcohol and causing a disturbance in the area of Alpine Road and Old Dale Road in Twentynine Palms.
Deputies say the person who called 911 went out to speak with the men, and they became confrontational. One of the men, identified by the Sheriff’s Department as Rudy Garcia, an 18 year-old resident of Twentynine Palms, fired a gun towards the reporting party. No one was hit, and deputies say Garcia fled a few blocks south towards Knott’s Sky Park, on El Sol Avenue near Sullivan Road. The other men fled in a different direction.
Deputies say Garcia approached a parked vehicle near Knott’s Sky dog park. Inside the vehicle was Robert McDonald, a 35-year-old resident of Twentynine Palms and his dog. The Sheriff’s Department says that McDonald and Garcia did not know each other, and without provocation, Garcia fired a gun into the vehicle.
Deputies say McDonald was hit by the gunfire, at which point he attempted to drive away from the area, but lost control of his vehicle and collided into another occupied vehicle. Deputies arrived at the scene and attempted life saving measures, but McDonald was pronounced dead at the scene.
The occupants of the parked car, a family of seven, including five children, sustained minor injuries. They told Z107.7 that the mother and four of the children sustained concussions.
Deputies say that Garcia fled the scene on foot, and was located later near the intersection of Sullivan Road and Eucalyptus Avenue by deputies and taken into custody. A handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered.
Rudy Garcia was arrested for investigation into murder and booked at the Morongo Basin jail where he is being held without bail.
Previously reported:
