Felon Charged with Shooting Man outside Riverside Motel
Felon Charged with Shooting Man outside Riverside Motel
by Contributing Editor
A convicted felon accused of shooting a man during an argument outside a Riverside motel was charged Thursday with gun assault and other offenses.
Rodney Mitchell Meredith, 51, of Los Angeles was arrested in the predawn hours Tuesday after the alleged attack at the Sands Motel on Magnolia Avenue, just north of the Riverside (91) Freeway.
Along with the firearm assault count, Meredith is charged with being a felon in possession of a loaded gun, with sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
He was being held on $2 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside and is slated to make his initial court appearance Friday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, about 2 a.m. Tuesday, Meredith confronted several people milling about in the parking area of the Sands Motel, where he was renting a room.
An argument ensued between the parties for unspecified reasons, and Meredith allegedly pulled out a pistol and opened fire, hitting the victim in one of his legs, Railsback said.
Meredith left immediately after the shooting, he said.
Witnesses called 911, and the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, was taken to hospital for treatment. He was expected to fully recover, according to Railsback.
A K-9 unit was summoned to search for Meredith, and the dog half of the team, “Maxx,” quickly picked up the defendant’s scent, leading his handler to the area of Magnolia and Skofstad Street, roughly three blocks west of the shooting, Railsback said.
Meredith was spotted and taken into custody without incident.
According to court records, he has prior felonies in another jurisdiction, but the convictions were unspecified. He additionally has a misdemeanor case pending in Riverside County for alleged battery on a domestic partner.
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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
