Suspect found dead after barricading inside car near Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula
Riverside County deputies were engaged in a standoff with a suspect near Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula on Wednesday evening when the man was found dead from what they said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The incident began at around 3:20 p.m., when deputies said they were alerted to a suspect wanted in connection with a missing person investigation in the area near Wolf Valley Road and Wolf Valley Creek Drive, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said that the suspect, since identified as 66-year-old Derek Arnett, stopped his vehicle in a parking lot near the Pechanga Gas Station & Mini Mart on Pechanga Parkway and Great Oak Drive, where he refused to surrender.
"The Sheriff's Emergency Response Team is currently on the scene attempting to negotiate a peaceful surrender," RSO officials told CBS LA while the situation was ongoing.
When deputies finally made contact with Arnett, they said that he had injuries consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Despite attempted life-saving measures by deputies and Cal Fire paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
"This is an ongoing investigation, and no further details are available at this time," RSO officials said on Wednesday.
They later revealed in a news release that the incident was connected to a missing person investigation that began on May 12, when family members of 61-year-old Pauma Valley man Frank Torres reported him missing. While searching for Torres, deputies located his vehicle abandoned near a park in Temecula.
"Based on suspicious circumstances, investigators from the Central Homicide Unit were notified and assumed the investigation," the release said.
Homicide investigators determined that Arnett was a suspect in their investigation and attempted to contact him near Wolf Valley Road and Wolf Valley Creek Drive, where the incident began.
"Torres has not been located," RSO officials said. "The investigation is still ongoing, and no other information will be released at this time."
Nearby schools, including Great Oak High School, were placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution, deputies said. Helen Hunt Jackson Elementary School, Erle Stanley Gardner Middle School and Temecula Luiseno Elementary are also located nearby, but it's unclear if they were also placed on lockdown as the situation continued to develop.
Anyone who knows more about Torres' disappearance or who has further information on the incident was asked to contact RSO's Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777.
