Man Who Claimed Assault Arrested As Suspect In Palm Spring Stabbing

PALM SPRINGS, CA — A man who called police in Palm Springs claiming he had been assaulted was arrested and remains in custody Wednesday after being identified as a suspect in a stabbing reported earlier.

Police received a call at around 5:41 a.m. Tuesday from a man in the 400 block of E. Arenas Road, according to a statement from the Palm Springs Police Department.

Officers arrived at the location and found him with what appeared to be "significant injuries consistent with an assault," police said. The man said he had been stabbed but didn't identify the suspect, according to police.

He was taken to a hospital and was listed in serious but stable condition.

Hours later, officers received a call from a man in the 100 block of N. Sunrise Way, who said he had been an assault victim Monday night. Police identified him as Richard Joseph Gonzales, 34, of Cathedral City.

Officers later determined Gonzalez was a suspect in the earlier stabbing case and arrested him at about 1:40 p.m. at N. Indian Canyon Drive, according to the department and inmate records.

He was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.

Gonzalez is expected to be charged with attempted murder at Indio's Larson Justice Center during an arraignment scheduled for Thursday, according to inmate records.

— City News Service