Pinned under heavy fire, deputies shoot Eastvale man, rescue 3 juveniles

November 16, 2020 Trevor Montgomery

EASTVALE, Calif. — Riverside County sheriff’s deputies found themselves pinned under heavy fire and needing to be rescued during an unknown trouble call in Eastvale early Saturday morning, Nov. 14.

While exchanging gunfire with the armed suspect, deputies put out a priority call for emergency assistance, at which time a half-dozen area law enforcement agencies responded to the scene to help the deputies “away from the suspect’s line of fire …and… from harm’s way,” officials later reported in a social media post thanking the involved agencies.

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Deputies from the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to the 14000 block of Alpaca Court, in the City of Eastvale, reference an unknown trouble call, Riverside Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Sgt. Deanna Pecoraro later said of the incident.

“Shortly after deputies arrived on scene, they contacted an adult male who was armed with a weapon and threatening the deputies,” Pecoraro explained, adding that at that time deputies requested additional resources to assist them.

Deputies who found themselves pinned and under heavy fire in Eastvale put out an emergency broadcast, bringing a half dozen law enforcement agencies to their rescue. RSO photo

While waiting for additional deputies to arrive, the suspect opened fire and began shooting “multiple rounds at the deputies from the interior of a home,” said Pecoraro.

While they scrambled for cover behind their vehicles the suspect continued to shoot at the deputies; who began returning fire, according to the sergeant.

Finding themselves pinned under heavy fire, deputies radioed an “11-99, Officer Needs Help” call, which was broadcast to all area law enforcement agencies.

The emergency call for assistance brought officers from six agencies to the deputies’ aid, including Chino Police Department, Ontario Police Department, City of Corona Police Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, University of California Police Department – Riverside, and Riverside Police Department.

“Corona Police Department and Ontario Police Department both arrived on scene with armored rescue vehicles and assisted in safely removing our deputies away from the suspect’s line of fire,” Pecoraro described.

As the incident continued, deputies received information that three juveniles were inside the home where the armed suspect was shooting at deputies from. Based on the new information, officials at the scene formulated a plan to use one of the armored tactical rescue vehicles to attempt to rescue the children from inside the home.

However, as the armored vehicle “was approaching the residence to safely remove the juveniles, the suspect appeared in the doorway and a second deputy involved shooting occurred,” according to Pecoraro.

Hearing the pinned deputies’ radio call for assistance, six area agencies responded to the scene with SWAT personnel and two armored tactical rescue vehicles. RSO photo

Although officials did not specify if the gunman, later identified as 43-year-old, Jose Alfredo Gonzalez, was struck by the deputies’ gunfire, Pecoraro said the man “was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for medical treatment of a non-life threatening injury.”

Three juveniles were subsequently found safe and removed unharmed from inside the home, where multiple weapons were discovered and seized.

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After being treated at the hospital for his unspecified injury, Gonzalez was booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of six counts of attempted murder of police officers, four counts of false imprisonment, three counts of causing willful harm to a child, inflicting corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant, and assault with a deadly weapon.

The deputies involved in Saturday morning’s shooting were placed on administrative leave per Department policy and their names were not released.

An Investigator from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is leading this ongoing investigation, and is being aided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Force Investigations Detail and Central Homicide Unit.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Investigator Dickey at (951) 955-2777 or Investigator Del Haro at (951) 955-5400. Callers can refer to incident file number EV20319003 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta 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. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s 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 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.