A La Quinta man accused of stabbing a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy in a leg during a scuffle in Palm Desert must stand trial on several felony counts, including attempted murder on a peace officer, a judge ruled today.
Christian Matthew Choi, 50, was arrested in March 2020 in the area of El Paseo and Lupine Lane following the altercation that left the deputy with a non-life-threatening stab wound.
Along with two counts of attempted murder on a peace officer, Choi was charged with robbery, false imprisonment, two criminal threats-related counts, two counts of resisting an executive officer, unlawful use of tear gas and assault with a non-firearm deadly weapon, along with several weapon and great bodily injury sentence-enhancing allegations. The unlawful use of tear gas and assault with a non-firearm deadly weapon charges were later dismissed.
He was held to answer on the remaining counts Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, with a post-preliminary hearing arraignment scheduled for Oct. 2.