A 19-year-old man, who is believed to be one of the three individuals involved in a car-to-car shooting that took place in the parking lot of The Shops in Palm Desert earlier this year, pleaded not guilty to felony charges on Thursday.
Court records reveal that Daniel Joseph Santacroce, a resident of Desert Hot Springs, has been charged with four felony counts of attempted murder, one felony count of shooting at a vehicle, and one felony count of possessing a short-barreled rifle or shotgun. In court documents, the victims were only identified by their initials: “A.R.,” “M.R.,” “P.G.,” and “G.R.”
Santacroce entered a plea of not guilty to all charges on Thursday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
The incident occurred on February 2nd around 2 p.m., prompting deputies from the sheriff’s Palm Desert station to respond to reports of shots being fired at the mall in the 72-800 block of Highway 111, as stated by Sgt. Travis Mountz. Shortly after, the sheriff’s station issued a public alert stating that the shooting had taken place in the south parking lot of the mall.
“Based on the investigation, it is believed that this was a car-to-car shooting related to gang activity and involved over 40 rounds being fired,” said Mountz in a statement. “Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident.”
Authorities reported that the Palm Desert Investigations Bureau and the Riverside County Gang Impact Team conducted a search warrant on March 22nd at an address in the 66000 block of San Remo. Allegedly, during the search, a short-barreled rifle, AR-15 parts, and a high-capacity magazine were discovered.
Santacroce was apprehended and placed in custody at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he remains incarcerated with a bail set at $1 million.
Additionally, the shooting also involved two other individuals from Adelanto, namely Allen Curcio Adams Jr. and Alexander Brice Alvarado, both 20 years old. They have been charged with the same counts as Santacroce and are awaiting trial after being charged separately earlier this year.
Following the identification of Adams and Alvarado as suspects in the shooting, investigators and the Riverside County Gang Impact Team executed a search warrant on March 22nd at a residence in the 11100 block of Hyattsville Street in Adelanto, according to Mountz.
After the search, Adams and Alvarado were arrested and subsequently booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where they are currently held without bail.
Individuals who possess any additional information pertaining to the shooting are advised to contact Investigator William Hickok at 760-836-1600.
