Latest news with #RussellPrentice
Los Angeles Times
12 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Man who allegedly struck woman at Riverside ‘No Kings' protest is arrested
Police on Monday arrested a man accused of driving an SUV that struck a 21-year-old woman marching at a 'No Kings' protest in Riverside. She remains hospitalized in critical condition. Russell Prentice, 58, of Riverside was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and hit-and-run causing injury, the Riverside Police Department said Tuesday. He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. Candase Wenzel was also arrested. The 39-year-old Riverside woman is accused of having a role in taking the SUV more than 30 miles away to the remote unincorporated area of Phelan in the Mojave Desert, 'intentionally destroying and concealing evidence,' the Police Department said. Prentice allegedly fled after driving a black SUV toward a crowd of protesters marching along University Avenue, between Orange and Main streets, and striking the woman at around 9:10 p.m. Saturday. Police haven't identified the victim, but a woman who called herself a friend and created a GoFundMe page identified her as Alexa Carrasco. 'She was rushed to the hospital' and was in intensive care with 'life-threatening injuries,' wrote the friend, Leslie Hernandez. Hernandez told The Times on Monday that Carrasco was in critical condition in the intensive care unit but was stable. Carrasco's friends told KCAL-TV that she suffered severe skull injuries as well as a cracked rib, punctured lung and broken leg. After police issued a plea to the community for tips to identify and locate the suspect, officers were able to find the SUV's license plate number. Detectives were then able to identify the suspect, police said, and made an arrest in Riverside. Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez expressed his thanks for the tips that people sent to police.'We're grateful for the information they provided,' the chief said in a statement. Anyone else who has information on the hit-and-run is asked to contact Riverside Police Det. Mike Smith at MikeSmith@ or (951) 353-7103, or Det. Nic Cantino at NCantino@ or (951) 353-7104. Times staff writer Ruben Vives contributed to this report.
CBS News
14 hours ago
- CBS News
Man arrested for fleeing from scene after crashing into Riverside protester
Police have arrested the driver who allegedly crashed into a woman during a protest in downtown Riverside over the weekend. The woman, 21-year-old Alexa Carrasco, was one of many who were marching along University Avenue between Main and Orange streets when a black SUV drove into the crowd and hit her, according to a news release from the Riverside Police Department. "The SUV then fled the scene," police said. Carrasco was treated at the scene and rushed to a nearby hospital where she remains in critical but stable condition. Friends tell CBS News Los Angeles that she suffered multiple broken bones, including her skull, and a punctured lung. While investigating the incident, detectives were able to recover the suspect's license plate number and eventually identified the driver, 58-year-old Russell Prentice, who was arrested on Monday in the 4700 block of Jackson Street, according to RPD's release. Prentice was booked for assault with a deadly weapon and hit and run causing injury, police said. Additionally, detectives also arrested 39-year-old Riverside woman Candase Wenzel for accessory after the fact and destruction of evidence "for her role in taking the suspect vehicle to Phelan, intentionally destroying and concealing evidence," according to police. 58-year-old Russell Prentice of Riverside was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for assault with a deadly weapon and hit and run causing injury. Detectives also arrested 39-year-old Candase Wenzel of Riverside for accessory after the fact and destruction of evidence for her role in taking the suspect vehicle to Phelan, intentionally destroying and concealing evidence. Friends of Carrasco say that she was peacefully protesting with relatives over the weekend when the suspect began to provoke people in the crowd. Video from the scene shows protesters approaching the vehicle, and while most stood outside of the driver's door, some others bumped into the left taillight and used an object to smash it. The suspect then turned the car around quickly and drove into the crowd where he struck Carrasco. Anyone who knows more about the incident is urged to contact detectives at (951) 353-7103 or (951) 353-7104.
