Shots Fired In Old Town Temecula Lead To Hemet Man's Arrest

TEMECULA, CA — Shots fired in Old Town Temecula Monday night resulted in the arrest of a 21-year-old Hemet man, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department reported.

Stephen Thomas was taken into custody after deputies responded around 9:22 p.m. to a 911 call about gunfire near the intersection of 3rd Street and Old Town Front Street. Witnesses helped alert deputies to Thomas, who was attempting to drive away, according to the sheriff's department.

Deputies pulled Thomas over at the intersection of Mercedes Street and 6th Street — one other occupant and a loaded handgun were inside in the vehicle, the sheriff's department said.

During the investigation, deputies found several spent shell casings in a dirt field near the area but no one was hit by the gunfire and there was no property damage, the sheriff's department said.

Thomas was booked into Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of DUI and negligent discharge of a firearm. He was released Tuesday on $5,000 bail, jail records show.

He is due in court in November.