Month: July 2026

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — New details are emerging after a violent four-vehicle crash in Palm Springs that left three people injured, including an innocent driver who remains hospitalized.

The crash happened around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, on North Indian Canyon Drive north of Via Escuela.

Palm Springs police initially investigated the collision as a suspected DUI crash. However, investigators now say the crash began as a road rage incident between the drivers of two vehicles. Police allege 30-year-old Gabriel Gutierrez-Roque of Rancho Cucamonga intentionally turned his vehicle toward another driver, triggering the chain-reaction crash involving four vehicles.

Gutierrez-Roque pleaded not guilty Friday to felony charges of DUI and Assault with a Deadly Weapon (Vehicle). He remains in custody on $30,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court Aug. 13 for a felony settlement conference.

One of the victims, Ana Serrano, was not involved in the alleged road rage encounter but was caught in the middle of the crash.

Her son, Marco Serrano, says the family learned about the collision after receiving a call from the hospital.

“I was devastated.” Marco said.

Ana suffered life-threatening injuries, including multiple broken bones, and underwent emergency surgery. Her family says she is now stable but faces a long recovery.

Marco says the crash has taken an emotional and financial toll on the family.

“Between my already daily life of handling work and school and now all of this on top of it… it’s been a very stressful situation but day-by-day,” Marco said.

He also hopes others remember how dangerous aggressive driving can be.

“The person that cut you off or took the red light… it can affect more families than just your own. Drive safe and be conscious of other people because it can be anyone’s family.”

The Serrano family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Ana’s medical expenses and recovery costs.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ)– Riverside County is in the president’s election files.

The county is cited in a new Department of Homeland Security report on threats to voter registration systems, released after President Trump’s primetime address to the nation Thursday on election integrity.

The White House posted the documents online, calling them previously classified intelligence assessments that expose vulnerabilities in electronic voting.

During the address, the president said the files show “shocking vulnerabilities” in the nation’s election infrastructure.

A White House official acknowledged the material does not allege any votes were switched or machines hacked, according to CBS News.

The Riverside County reference goes back a decade.

The report cites District Attorney Mike Hestrin revealing that a bad actor used the state’s voter registration website to change the party affiliations of a large number of voters using their personal information, without their knowledge or consent.

The document dates it to July 2016. Hestrin publicly discussed the case in 2017, describing changes made ahead of the June 2016 primary. His office investigated after voters filed formal complaints, but the state’s system didn’t retain the IP addresses needed to trace who did it. No one was ever charged. The Secretary of State’s office at the time said there was no evidence the voter database itself was breached.

Hestrin also pushed back on separate accusations tied to the 2020 election, telling News Channel 3 in 2021 that claims of election interference were unfounded.

News Channel 3 has reached out to Hestrin’s office for an interview and comment.

The White House release lands as Riverside County sits at the center of another election battle. The California Supreme Court is weighing whether Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 600,000 ballots from the November 2025 special election was legal. The county Registrar says the discrepancy that sparked that investigation was 103 votes not the roughly 46,000 first claimed.

This is a developing story check back to news channel 3 for updates.

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – The family of 45-year-old Raymond Torres is speaking out on their son’s disappearance, since he was first reported missing this week.

Torres, who is apart of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Tribe, was last seen on July 1, near the area of Martinez Road and Polk Street. Surveillance footage shows he was wearing a black tank top, light shorts and dark shoes.

California Highway Patrol issued a feather alert for Torres earlier this week.

His father, Raymond Torres, says he first noticed his son was missing when he never came by his house as expected. Upon checking on his son’s home, Torres says he found it ransacked.

“You could tell there was a physical confrontation there because of the chairs thrown around in the kitchen. The refrigerator, I don’t know if both doors were off, but I know one of them was off, and the curtains leading outside to the front sliding glass door, they were jerked down to me with some force,” he said.

Torres says his son usually keeps to himself, but no contact like this is alarming.

“Especially around this community, everybody knows everybody. They see him every other day at least once a week in here or up on Ave 66 or at the market that he’s usually at,” he said.

The family and tribe hosted a search party Friday morning. Tribal chairman Joseph Mirelez says they’re also working with Riverside County Sheriff’s, who’ve used drones and helicopters in the search.

“He’s a fixture of the community. So him not being around, it’s heavy on our hearts because we just don’t know where he’s at and we don’t know if he’s safe. Especially right now in the heat of summer,” Mirelez said.

While sightings have been reported, Torres says no firm leads in the case have been found. Until then, he says he’ll be holding onto his community and faith.

“This is where the healing begins to see how many people and how many loved ones are just coming out to support the family,” Torres said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Riverside County Sheriff’s Thermal station at 760-863-8990.

They can also contact the tribe’s emergency response manager, Angel Ortega at 760-442-2401 or the public safety and security director, Alberto Chavez at 951-348-8436.