Man Pleads Guilty to Desert Hot Springs Shooting, Sentenced 8 Years, 4 Months

INDIO (CNS) – A reputed gang member who shot up a home with adults and children on the property in Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty to felony charges and was immediately sentenced to eight years and four months in prison.

Randy Sanudo, 25, of Cathedral City pleaded guilty Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one felony count each of being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm, discharging a firearm in a negligent manner and dissuading a victim from testifying, according to court records. He additionally admitted to sentence-enhancing allegations of committing a felony in association with a street gang and while on bail.

He was immediately sentenced to eight years and four months in prison.

Co-defendant Victor David Rodriguez, 27, of Phoenix pleaded guilty May 9 to one felony count each of discharging a firearm in a negligent manner and attempting to prevent a witness from testifying, according to court records. He was immediately sentenced to two years of formal probation.

Members of the Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force completed a follow-up investigation at 1 p.m. Feb. 27, 2020 into the shooting that occurred Jan. 18, 2020, in the 72000 block of Dillon Road, according to Sgt. Paul Heredia of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

“During the incident, twelve 9mm rounds were fired at a residence where adults and children were present,” Heredia said in a statement.

Sanudo and Rodrigues were subsequently identified as the culprits and were arrested during a traffic stop Feb. 24, 2020, near Vista Chino and Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City, according to Heredia.

No injuries were reported in the shooting.

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