Possession of a Stolen Vehicle and Illegal Firearm in Cathedral City 

August 9, 2024 – Riverside County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, at 4:05 p.m., the Riverside Sheriff’s Aviation Unit notified Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station personnel of a black Chevrolet Camaro stolen from Menifee. Riverside Sheriff’s Aviation located the Camaro and followed it into the city of Palm Desert. The vehicle entered the parking structure of a business in the 72000 block of Highway 111. The occupants fled from the stolen vehicle and entered the business. Deputies established a perimeter and searched for the suspects; however, the suspects had already fled the area.

Deputies continued their investigation and were led to a residence in the 32000 block of Sky Blue Water Trail, Cathedral City. The Sheriff’s personnel located the suspects at the residence and positively identified them from the business' surveillance footage. During the arrest and search of one suspect, a loaded, unregistered handgun was located.

The suspects were identified as Cayden Lopez, a 20-year-old resident of Palm Desert; Noeli Bautista, a 19-year-old resident of Palm Springs; Antwone Lewis, a 20-year-old resident of Cathedral City; and Samantha Ray, a 19-year-old resident of Cathedral City. Lewis was arrested for possession of stolen property and possession of an unregistered firearm. Lopez was arrested for possession of stolen property. Bautista and Ray were arrested for conspiracy. The four suspects were booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information regarding this incident to contact the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 760-836-1600.

Reporting Deputy: Sergeant Jeff Cryder

File # O242200027

Source: Riverside County Sheriff’s Office