MURRIETA — A Temecula man who stabbed a 35-year-old motorist during a traffic dispute in Temecula pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted murder and other charges.
Rigoberto R. Reyes, 45, admitted the felony count, along with child endangerment and a sentence-enhancing great bodily injury allegation, just as his trial was set to begin at the Southwest Justice Center.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Monterosso scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 29 at the Murrieta courthouse. No specific term of imprisonment was announced.
Reyes is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
He was arrested May 21, 2022, following the attack in the 28400 block of Old Town Front Street, near Moreno Road, near the city’s Old Town area.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Frank Tiburzio, shortly before 1 p.m., Reyes and the victim, identified only as an “adult male,” were involved in an unspecified roadway dispute while in their respective vehicles.
The confrontation culminated in the two men stopping on Old Town Front Street, where Reyes pulled a knife and attacked the victim, inflicting “multiple stab wounds,” the sergeant said.
He said the defendant fled the location immediately afterward.
Witnesses called 911, and the victim was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, where he received emergency treatment. He has since recovered from his injuries.
Tiburzio said patrol deputies were able to obtain the license plate information on the vehicle the defendant was driving. They spotted it minutes later in the 42200 block of Main Street, where Reyes was taken into custody without incident.
There was no mention of the basis for the child endangerment charge, or whether it stemmed from a youth in the defendant’s vehicle, or the victim’s.
