Felony Assault Charges Filed Against Woman Shot By Palm Desert Deputy

PALM DESERT, CA— A 53-year-old woman who allegedly refused to drop a knife when confronted by law enforcement in Palm Desert, prompting a deputy to shoot her, was charged Wednesday with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.

Kelly Lynette Cronn of Palm Desert was set to be arraigned on the charges Thursday morning at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Deputies responded at 2:45 a.m. Sunday to a report of a burglary in progress in the 49000 block of State Highway 74, according to Sgt. Deirdre Vickers of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The person who reported the incident told dispatchers they were hiding in a bedroom and heard someone inside their residence, Vickers said. Upon arrival, deputies were able to enter the residence through an unsecured door.

"Deputies located and detained one subject when a second subject appeared from a back room armed with a knife," Vickers wrote in a statement. "Deputies gave commands to drop the knife, but the suspect refused, and a deputy-involved shooting occurred."

Vickers said Cronn received medical aid from deputies and was subsequently taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. She was recovering from her injuries Tuesday at the Riverside University Health System's Detention Care Unit.

No other injuries were reported.

The first suspect was taken to the Palm Desert sheriff's station and interviewed but was later released, Vickers said. The deputy who was involved in the shooting, who was not identified by the sheriff's department, was placed on administrative leave per department policy.

An investigation into the shooting led by Riverside County District Attorney's Office investigators assigned to the Riverside Sheriff's Force Investigations Detail was underway, according to Vickers.

Anyone with information on the burglary or shooting was asked to call Riverside County District Attorney Investigator J.R. Ferrer at 951-955-2700 or Riverside County Sheriff's Master Investigator Martin Alfaro at 760-393-3528.