MORENO VALLEY: Hemet man shooting indiscriminately at passing cars on busy road arrested

March 7, 2018 Trevor Montgomery

MORENO VALLEY — A family of five escaped injury after a man fired a handgun into their vehicle as they drove past him along a busy business and restaurant lined Moreno Valley street, Tuesday evening, March 6.

A deputy who happened to witness the man standing in the middle of Alessandro Boulevard near Elsworth Street indiscriminately shooting at passing vehicles managed to apprehend the alleged shooter on the spot.

Deputies arrested Pierre Drew after witnessing him indiscriminately shooting at passing cars on busy Allesandro Blvd. in Moreno Valley. RSO booking photo

The man, later identified as Pierre La Mar Drew, 33, of Hemet, was later booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of five counts of attempted murder with malice and being a violent felon in possession of a firearm.

After the shooting and arrest, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Brandi Swan explained that about 10:30 p.m., a deputy assigned to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Police Station observed Drew firing a handgun eastbound toward passing cars, including a vehicle occupied by the family.

As the family passed by the suspect “he fired numerous rounds at the vehicle, striking it at least once,” Swan explained. “The rear window of the victim’s vehicle was shattered as a result of the gunfire and a bullet was located inside the vehicle in very close proximity to the victims.”

During their subsequent investigation deputies located and recovered Drew’s handgun at the scene. It was not immediately known if any other vehicles were struck by rounds fired by Drew.

An online jail record search revealed Drew remains in custody, held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at Riverside Hall of Justice, Mar. 9.

Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Deputy Jay Willner during business hours at (951) 486-6700 or by email. Citizens may also submit an anonymous tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form. Callers can refer to incident file number MV180650553 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 27 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 14 grandchildren.