May 11, 2021- 4:25 p.m.
A suspect has been identified who was found dead following a shootout and standoff with Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies in March in Perris. The identification came Wednesday as the Sheriff’s Department released body camera footage from the incident.
The suspect was identified as 28-year-old Cristian Alejandro Castaneda of Perris, the Sheriff’s Department said. The agency also revealed that Castaneda was wanted for an alleged assault on an officer with a firearm the night before during a traffic stop, according to Sheriff Chad Bianco.
On March 20, Castaneda allegedly pointed a loaded gun at deputies during the traffic stop and pulled the trigger, Bianco said in a Sheriff’s Department video. However, the gun allegedly malfunctioned and did not fire, prompting Castaneda to return to his vehicle and flee.
Castaneda then allegedly abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot, leaving behind a passenger who was detained by the Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department learned that Castaneda frequented a home in the 100 block of Bond Road in Perris, prompting deputies to serve a search warrant for his arrest the following day, Bianco said.
On March 21, as deputies removed the home’s residents in preparation for Castaneda’s arrest, gun shots began to fire from within the home at the deputies. Body camera footage shows three deputies taking cover behind a truck in the driveway with the home’s occupants while two other deputies were pinned down in the front yard.
Footage shows the deputies in the front yard being fired upon from a corner room in the home, prompting them to return fire. One deputy was struck in the chest by apparent gunfire and was ultimately hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Armored vehicles from the Sherriff’s Department then arrived to the home, allowing cover for the pinned deputies and residents. After a lengthy standoff, the Sheriff’s Department sent a robot inside the home where Castaneda was discovered dead with a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, according to Bianco.
