Felon Accused of Assaulting, Carjacking Mead Valley Man Arraigned

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – One of two convicted felons accused of beating and carjacking a Mead Valley motorist who gave them a ride pleaded not guilty Thursday to carjacking and other offenses. Anthony Atilano, 26, was arrested Sunday alongside 28-year-old Daniel Enrique Quevedo following a weeklong Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation. Along with carjacking, both Moreno Valley men are charged with battery resulting in great bodily injury. Quevedo is additionally charged with being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm. He pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Wednesday, but Atilano’s hearing was delayed to Thursday morning, after which Superior Court Judge Gary Polk scheduled a felony settlement conference for both men on April 14 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. The defendants are being held at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning — Atilano on $100,000 bail, and Quevedo on $150,000. According to sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Tinker, the alleged attack occurred in the predawn hours of March 26 in the 22000 block of Cajalco Road in Mead Valley. Tinker said that the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, was driving his friend’s 2008 Saturn Vue through the area when he spotted Atilano and Quevedo trying to catch a ride. Tinker alleged that after the man picked them up, they turned hostile, "assaulted him, fired a round from a sawed-off shotgun and stole the vehicle." The victim was able to seek help, and patrol deputies found him disoriented and bleeding from the head on Cajalco about 6 a.m. that day, according to the sergeant. He said the man was taken to a hospital for treatment and is recovering. The Saturn was located abandoned later the same day in Moreno Valley. Detectives obtained security surveillance videotape from a convenience store, where the defendants allegedly stopped while driving the compact SUV, and based on that and other evidence, they were eventually able to identify the two alleged carjackers, Tinker said. The pair were taken into custody without incident at a motel on La Sierra Avenue in Riverside Sunday night According to court records, Atilano has prior convictions for auto theft, being in possession of controlled substances and driving under the influence. Quevedo has a prior conviction for receiving a stolen vehicle, records show. Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.