Deputy Is Shot While Probing Car Theft

A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy was shot twice Friday morning while investigating a suspicious vehicle near Indio, and a manhunt is underway, officials said.

Deputy Juan Garcia, 27, a former Marine who has been with the Sheriff’s Department for three years, was shot in the left hand and in the right side of his face.

He was in critical but stable condition Friday afternoon at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs but is expected to survive, Sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Lohman said.

He was alert and talking, Lohman said, and surrounded by family members, sheriff’s officials and the department chaplain.

“While it’s something every one of us knows could happen in the line of duty, it’s a terrible shock when it does happen,” Lohman said.

Garcia stopped his patrol car at 8:45 a.m. Friday to investigate a Cadillac that had been reported stolen.

The car was parked at Stacie and Shady lanes in Coachella.

The small town is southeast of Indio, where Garcia is stationed.

As Garcia approached the car, someone inside opened fire, striking him twice, Lohman said.

The incident occurred in a residential area, and an eyewitness called 911.

Sheriff’s deputies, joined by officers from several nearby law enforcement agencies, launched a search minutes later for Sabino Cortina, described as a 5-foot-5 Latino, between 120 and 130 pounds, who goes by the nickname “Youngster.”

The suspect was last seen wearing either a black or red T-shirt with the word “cholo” on the back.