Convicted Felon Accused of Threatening Couple in Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – A 55-year-old convicted felon suspected of exhibiting a firearm and threatening to kill a female victim and her friend for collecting recyclables in "his territory," was out of custody today on a $25,000 bond. The Palm Springs Police Department reported to the parking lot at the Saguaro Hotel in Palm Springs shortly after 2 a.m. to speak to the female victim who was threatened with the firearm. Officers located a vehicle that matched the victim’s description in a business complex across the street from the Saguaro Hotel. They detained Richard Robert Alger, of Desert Hot Springs, as a suspect and allegedly found a shotgun and a .22 caliber handgun in his possession. The female victim and her friend were collecting recyclables outside the hotel when Alger approached them in a silver Toyota SUV, according to police. He allegedly exhibited a firearm, threatening to kill them because he didn’t like them collecting recyclables in "his territory," and then he left the scene, according to police. Alger was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center under suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, being a felon possessing a firearm and terrorist threats and driving with a suspended license. He was released on Friday after posting bail. Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc. CNS-05-06-2022 08:44