Motorist was shot in back, Sheriff's spokesperson confirms

A Riverside motorist who allegedly told another motorist and deputies that he had a gun was shot in the back, according to officials.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is still investigating the November 19 shooting of Juventino Rodriguez, 50, who has been transferred from Loma Linda University Medical Center to the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga while he waits for his day in court.

"I can confirm for you that his gunshot wound was in his back," department spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said Friday. "According to the investigators, he crouched down and turned as the deputy fired. Actually, the round that struck him they believe went over his head and struck him as he was crouched down and turning. They believe that was what occurred."

"When bullets start flying, people tend to turn around and run," said Captain Lance Clark, the head of the Hesperia station. "Sometimes the first shot doesn't find its mark, the second one does, and the second shot could be a half a second behind the first one."

On the night of the incident, deputies from the Hesperia station were called to the site of a single-vehicle traffic accident near the intersection of Highway 395 and Bolinas Street. There, the witness who called in the report told deputies he had tried to assist the crashed truck's driver, Rodriguez, and the motorist allegedly told the witness to back off and that he had a gun.

When deputies attempted to contact Rodriguez, Rodriguez ran a short distance away, then allegedly turned toward the deputies with both hands in front of him, similar to how one would point a handgun. Rodriguez was shot once and fell to the ground. According to officials, he continued to resist and allegedly yelled he had a gun. He was Tasered and announced he did not actually have a handgun.

No weapon was found at the scene.

"The deputies aren't required to get shot at before they do anything," Clark said.

The department's homicide division handles all investigations of officer-involved shootings.

"It takes typically several weeks, to complete the entire investigation and then turn it over to the district attorney," Beavers said. "Initially, I know, in the first few days, there were no charges filed. But he was hospitalized and not going anywhere."

According to his sister, Rodriguez is paralyzed from the waist down.

"He was able to move his legs a little bit," said Mary Ellen Moore. "They're saying with physical therapy, he was able to move his feet. ... They said they're not going to take the bullet out, because where it entered, it broke into many pieces."

The entire incident baffles Rodriguez's family, she said.

"He's a good superintendent. He was a supervisor for KB Homes," Moore said. "Everything just cascaded out of control."

Moore had been unable to speak to her brother directly as of Friday morning, but had heard from her sister-in-law, who said her husband told her "the police approached him, told him to put his hands in the air and then they started shooting."

According to Moore, her brother does not drink and has no history of substance abuse. What led to his shooting, she does not know.

Rodriguez's sole prior criminal conviction occurred in September 2005, when he was convicted of failing to wear a seatbelt.

He is currently charged with obstructing or resisting an officer and making terrorist threats. He is being held on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in Victorville Superior Court on Tuesday morning.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Detectives Frank Bell or Dave Burgess at (909) 387-3589. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may leave information with the We-Tip hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or the We-Tip Web site at WeTip.com.

Beau Yarbrough can be reached at 956-7108 or at beau@hesperiastar.com.