Man Charged In Lake Elsinore Carjacking

MURRIETA, CA — A 25-year-old man suspected of carjacking a driver at gunpoint in Lake Elsinore appeared in court Friday to plead not guilty in the attack.

Dominic Michael Melgoza, of Oceanside, was arrested Tuesday within hours of the carjacking in the 31000 block of Riverside Drive. He was arraigned Friday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stephen Gallon. Melgoza's bail was set at $130,000, and he is being held at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the carjacking took place at about 10 p.m. Monday. A man was parked on Riverside, near Lakeshore Drive, when Melgoza allegedly approached him and leveled a black handgun at him, ordering the driver to relinquish the keys to his car, said Sgt. Brad Foster. The victim handed over his keys and ran.

"The victim fled his vehicle, and the suspect drove westbound on Riverside," Foster said. "The victim immediately called 911."

According to the sergeant, patrol deputies swarmed the area but were not immediately able to find the vehicle. However, about three hours later, a patrolman passing the intersection of Riverside and Lincoln Street spotted the victim's car going west on Riverside.

Backup deputies were summoned, and moments later, Melgoza was directed to pull over. He complied, stopping adjacent to the Lakeside High School campus, Foster said.

Melgoza was taken into custody without incident. A search of the vehicle did not turn up the firearm allegedly used in the carjacking, according to Foster.

The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.