Felon Accused of Shooting Man outside Riverside Motel Arraigned
Felon Accused of Shooting Man outside Riverside Motel Arraigned
by Contributing Editor
A convicted felon accused of shooting a man during an argument outside a Riverside motel pleaded not guilty Friday to 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 arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Jackson, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 11 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Jackson set Meredith’s bail at $2 million. He was being held at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, about 2 a.m. Tuesday, Meredith confronted several people loitering 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 a leg, then left the scene, Railsback said.
Witnesses called 911, and the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, was taken to hospital and expected to fully recover, according to Railsback.
A K-9 unit was summoned to search for Meredith, and the dog, “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, the police spokesman said.
Meredith was spotted and taken into custody without incident.
According to court records, he has prior felonies in another jurisdiction for unspecified convictions. He also 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
