Crime & Safety
Bail Reduced By $900K For Defendant In CatCity Applebee's Killing
During a Wednesday hearing, a Riverside County Superior Court judge reduced Willie R. Bustamante's bail from $1 million to $100,000.
CATHEDRAL CITY, CA — A Cathedral City man suspected in a fight that led to a fatal shooting at an Applebee's Grill & Bar had his bail reduced Wednesday by $900,000.
Willie R. Bustamante, 33, is charged with one felony count of murder and faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury, according to court records.
During a hearing Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center, a Riverside County Superior Court judge reduced Bustamante's bail from $1 million to $100,000.
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Riverside County District Attorney's Office public information specialist Brooke Beare told City News Service prosecutors "strongly objected to the bail reduction."
Officers responded at 11:31 p.m. Aug. 6 to a report of a fight involving numerous people inside Applebee's at 32400 Date Palm Drive, according to Sgt. Albert Ruiz of the Cathedral City Police Department.
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During the altercation, one person pulled out a firearm and shot the victim, Ernesto Lazcano Arroyo, 31, a Cathedral City resident, according to police. Officers found Arroyo inside the restaurant with gunshot wounds.
Paramedics from the Cathedral City Fire Department took Arroyo to a hospital, where he died, Ruiz said.
CCPD detectives conducted several interviews and worked several leads during their investigation, according to Ruiz. They worked with the Riverside County Gang Impact Team that conducted surveillance on Bustamante's residence in the 69100 block of Dinah Shore Drive, where a search warrant was served.
Police said 30-year-old Antonio Portillo of Cathedral City was also identified as a suspect and booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, but according to inmate records, he was released without being charged in the case.
Bustamante was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Indio.
Anyone with information on the killing was asked to call the CCPD at 760-770-0300, Cmdr. Rick Sanchez at 760-202-2488 or via the Cathedral City Police Department website at cathedralcitypolice.com.
