Suspect Arrested for Brandishing a Firearm and Dissuading a Witness 

June 12, 2026 – Riverside County Sheriff’s Office officials report that in April 2026, the Thermal Sheriff’s Station Investigations Bureau began an investigation into allegations of brandishing a firearm and dissuading a witness. During the investigation, the suspect was identified as Salvador Cardenas Jr., a 30-year-old resident of Joshua Tree.

On June 10, 2026, deputies assigned to the Riverside Sheriff’s Emergency Service Team located Cardenas’ vehicle in the area of the 10 Freeway and Highway 62 and conducted a vehicle stop. Cardenas was taken into custody without incident. Deputies later served a search warrant at Cardenas’ residence located in the 7000 block of Sunny Vista Road, Joshua Tree, where evidence of the crime was located. Cardenas was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center for brandishing a firearm and dissuading a witness.

This is an ongoing investigation, and no further details are available at this time. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Investigator Adonis Glasper at the Thermal Station by calling 760-863-8990 or Riverside Sheriff’s Dispatch by calling 951-776-1099.

Reporting Supervisor: Sergeant Chis Gelinas

File # C251810026

Source & photo: Riverside County Sheriff’s Office