Skip to main content

The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle - Febuary 9th, 2023

Page 1

A Be the Valentine | Page A4

D WORLD NEWS | Page D1

C Memphis officer took, shared photos of bloodied Tyre Nichols | Page D1

Weather: 24/7o | Volume V | Issue VI

Thursday, February 9 - February 15, 2023

A LOCAL

Do Walmart cashiers earn more than RivCo's in-home caregivers?

See more on page A2

www.HSJChronicle.com |

| $2.00 (Tax Incl.)

D WORLD NEWS

C VALLEY BEAT

Chinese balloon’s downing creates spectacle over tourism hub See more on page D1

Is There a Supply Problem for Inland Empire Retail?

See more on page C4

A Riverside high school freshman is beaten on video. Parents ask why no one has been arrested NOAH GOLDBERG | CONTRIBUTOR

A

shocking video of a vicious beatdown in the parking lot of a Riverside high school has not resulted in any arrests, angering the parents of the victim, who feel the episode is being swept under the rug. A 14-year-old freshman was assaulted outside Patriot High School in Jurupa Valley just after school let out last Wednesday by at least three attackers, who can be seen in the video kicking, hitting and stomping on the teen as he lies helpless on the ground. Despite clear video of the incident, the Riverside County Sheriff ’s Department has not made an arrest in the case, and the school district did not address the shocking footage until Tuesday — after KTLA published a report

on the incident. “We’re taking it pretty hard as parents,” said Angel Payan, the father of the boy who was attacked. “To see your son in the situation he was in was very painful.” The Times is not naming the boy because he is a minor. Payan said the beating arose from a dispute related to his son’s ex-girlfriend, whom he had posted about on social media. Following his posts, the 14-year-old began to receive threats on Instagram from strangers who did not attend his high school, Payan said. The day of the incident, Payan’s son received a message from someone on Instagram informing him that he was at Patriot High School, Payan said. Video of the incident shows the trio of attackers brutalizing the teen, who is on the ground from the start of the footage. Numer-

ous bystanders watch from the side as the beating occurs. The child’s father said one of the attackers had a knife, although the boy was not cut by the knife. Payan said he was informed the same day by the principal that his son was the victim of the attack. When he saw his child, the boy was covered in bruises all over his head. “He had a lot of knots in his head. The knots, the impact blows all to his head. His head looked like a cranberry. His nose was all beaten,” Payan said. Despite that, Payan said that his son did not receive medical attention on scene and that a Riverside County sheriff ’s deputy shirked responsibility for the incident, saying it occurred after classes were done for the day. Payan says he has not heard back from the Sheriff ’s Department after filing a report.

The 14-year-old freshman at Patriot High School was viciously beaten as he lay on the ground in the school’s parking lot. | Courtesy Photo of ANgel Payan

It took the school six days to

See FRESHMAN on page A4

Prostitution Sting Nets 31 Arrests Across Riverside County Arrests were made in Banning, Hemet, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Murrieta, Perris, Riverside, San Jacinto, Temecula and Wildomar. CITY NEWS SERVICE | CONTRIBUTED

A

series of law enforcement operations throughout Riverside County targeting suspects seeking or engaged in illicit sexual services netted 31 arrests, authorities said Wednesday. The county's Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force joined other agencies statewide in "Operation Reclaim & Rebuild," with the goal of cracking down on individuals allegedly involved in prostitution rings and escort services, most of them based online, as well as rescuing the victims. The effort ran Jan. 23-28 in Riverside County, with identical sweeps taking place in numerous other jurisdictions across California, according to Sgt. Jeff Hammond of the Riverside County Sheriff 's Department. "The operation targeted online prostitution and those whose de-

mand for these unlawful activities fuels an illicit underground economy, both locally, as well as across the state," Hammond said. "Often, individuals engaging in acts of prostitution are being forced to commit sexual acts against their will." Arrests were made in Banning, Hemet, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Murrieta, Perris, Riverside, San Jacinto, Temecula and Wildomar. Most of the individuals apprehended in the county operation were booked on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution, though one was additionally taken into custody for alleged pimping. "Various services and resources were provided and offered to seven rescued victims," the sergeant said. He did not disclose whether any of the victims were minors. Operation Reclaim & Rebuild netted a total of 368 arrests and 131 rescues statewide, according to Hammond. "Prostitution is not a 'victim-

The effort ran Jan. 23-28 in Riverside County, with identical sweeps taking place in numerous other jurisdictions across California, according to Sgt. Jeff Hammond of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. | Courtesy Photo of Renee Schiavone/Patch

less crime,"' he said. "Those victimized by commercial sexual exploitation frequently have long histories of emotional, physical

and sexual abuse. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children estimates 1 in 6 endangered runaways are likely victims

of sex trafficking." The operation was conducted as part of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Arraignment Set In Desert Hot Springs Fatal Shooting CITY NEWS SERVICE | CONTRIBUTED

L

a Quinta man will be arraigned next week on a murder charge stemming from the shooting death of a 20-year-old man whose body was found in the open desert of Desert Hot Springs. At the end of a preliminary hearing Monday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Edward Forstenzer ruled there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial for Jose Manuel Angel Arellano, 23, on the murder charge. A post-preliminary hearing arraignment was set for Feb. 16. Arellano is accused in the slaying of David Joaquin Murrieta of Desert Hot Springs, according to Sgt. Rick Espinoza of the Riverside County Sheriff 's Department. According to court records, 27-year-old Gabriel "Vago" Magdaleno is also accused in the

Cases continue to be dismissed in Riverside case but was charged separately County over judge shortage from Arellano with murder and a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury. According to Espinoza, deputies from the Palm Desert sheriff 's station investigating a missing person case discovered human remains on Jan. 21, 2021, in the area of Mission Lakes Boulevard and Little Morongo Road. Sheriff 's Detective Martin Alfaro testified in Arellano's preliminary hearing Monday that Murrieta's body was found with three gunshot wounds -- one entering from the back of his head, one from the left side of his head and one from the right side of his chin -- in a shallow grave under a set of metal springs in the open desert. Alfaro said Arellano drove from Tijuana, Mexico, to the Palm Desert sheriff 's station on

See SHOOTING on page A4

CINDY VON QUEDNOW & LAUREN LYSTER | CONTRIBUTORS

C

riminal cases continue to be dismissed in Riverside County due to an ongoing judge shortage. In less than a week, three separate child sexual assault cases have been dismissed, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In one of the cases, the Riverside County Superior court announced there were no judges available to hear the trial, but later one judge dismissed the case altogether due to the court’s inability to start the trial within the timeframe required by law, officials allege. The DA’s office says two other child abuses cases were never brought to trial for the same reason.

All three cases have since been re-filed. Back in October, the Superior Court issued a statement breaking down how it is dealing with backlogs caused by a “chronic shortage of judges.” As a result, 1,500 cases have been dismissed since then, according to the DA’s office. In one example, Tabitha Davies said her family bought a custom-built manufactured home from a dealer who had allowed his license to expire. He delivered a home that was mold infested and destroyed, she told KTLA. The dealer was criminally charged, but Davies never got her day in court. Officials told her there were not enough judges. “I am angry,” she said, detailing the hardships the issue has

See SHORTAGE on page A4


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook