Category: kesq-local-news

Kendall Flynn

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs City Council is set to vote on purchasing $280,000 worth of additional Flock systems Thursday night, something the Palm Springs Police Department says is needed.

The new Flock Nova system would bring a crime analysis software to the department, which is an all in one technology solution – aiding in faster investigations. The city currently has 15 automated license plate readers and Flock cameras at 52 non-residential intersections.

Thursday’s meeting will vote on implementing Flock Nova, which has been a controversial system as it integrates more date and information with license plate cameras.The vote would also extend the city’s term with Flock Group, Inc. by one year, lasting until October 1, 2028.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from PSPD how the Flock Nova system would impact the station.

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Jesus Reyes

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The lineup for the 2026 Stagecoach Country Music Festival was released on Thursday, with Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Post Malone set to headline.

The festival will take place April 24-April 26 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. Passes go on sale Thursday, Oct. 2 at Stagecoach.com

The lineup also features Bailey Zimmerman, Red Clay Strays, Ella Langley, Counting Crows, BigXThaPlug, Riley Green, Journey, Little Big Town, Bush, Gavin Adcock, Teddy Swins (Who will also be at Coachella), Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters, Brooks & Dunn, Hootie & the Blowfish, Third Eye Blind, and many more.

“Late Night on Mustang” will feature Diplo, Pitbull, and Ludacris.

Guy Fieri will return with his Stagecoach Smokehouse.

The Compton Cowboys are set to return.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage on festival season in the Coachella Valley.

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Allie Anthony

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – More than 100 students from six Coachella Valley schools are coming together today at Agua Caliente Elementary for a special music workshop.

The students, known as The Changels, are part of an honor choir made up of 3rd through 5th graders from Palm Springs Unified schools. They participate in Adopt the Arts, a nonprofit founded by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Matt Sorum, formerly of Guns N’ Roses.

The Adopt the Arts program provides music education to underserved elementary schools. Today’s workshop will feature lessons from Emmy-nominated choreographer Jennifer Hamilton and a surprise visit from Grammy-winning artist Macy Gray, who is helping the students rehearse her hit song “Beauty in the World.”

Michael Fergon, a music teacher at Vista Del Monte Elementary, says the program has had a powerful impact. “There have been studies that say that music really, really lifts kids up and helps them out and other other subjects,” said Fergon. “For these kids to be doing this is just something that younger kids or younger generations have never had in their life.”

Stay with News Channel 3 to learn more about the Adopt the Arts program.

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Julia Castro

BEAUMONT, Calif. (KESQ) — A 19-year-old was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after crashing into a tow truck Wednesday night in Beaumont.

The crash happened just after 9 p.m. Tuesday near Brookside Avenue, just east of Nobel Street.

According to the California Highway Patrol, officers determined the crash involved a Nissan Maxima driven by a 19-year-old man and and tow truck driven by a Palm Springs resident. Details on what led to the crash were not available, however, CHP determined the it was caused by driving under the influence, with unsafe speed as an associated factor. 

The 19-year-old was hospitalized after suffering a broken leg and lacerations to his torso and face. A News Channel 3 crew at the scene saw him being wheeled away on a stretcher and taken to a hospital. His identity has not been released.

The tow truck driver was not injured.

Stay with us for updates as more information becomes available.

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KESQ News Team

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A patrol by Palm Springs Police in the parking lot of a local motel turned into a foot chase as a man took off running through the property with suspected illegal drugs.

The department released a video of the August 14th pursuit on social media Wednesday.

Police say that an officer with the Palm Springs Special Enforcement Unit approached 24-year-old Trevon Smith of Palm Springs in the motel lot.

The department explains that while speaking with Smith, the officer believed he was hiding contraband in a sock. The officer asked him about it, and as seen in the video, Smith suddenly fled on foot, initiating a chase through the motel property.

Police noted that while running, Smith tossed away a loaded semi-automatic firearm near the pool area, where there were several people, including children present. Police later retrieved the gun and determined it to be stolen.

The video shows Smith was finally caught after a brief struggle. Police searched his belongings and found suspected methamphetamine, a digital scale, narcotics paraphernalia, and a suspected ecstasy pill in his sock.

An exchange between a bystander and an officer can be heard on the video: “What happened?” The officer responds, “Just a bad guy running from us with a gun.”

Smith was arrested, and police report that he is accused of multiple charges, including a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm in public/not registered owner, possession of stolen property, possession of a controlled substance while armed, possession of a controlled substance for sales, and resisting/obstructing a police officer.

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Shay Lawson

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)  – Paul, a juror who helped convict former Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Oscar Rodriguez, 44, in June in the 2014 deadly shooting of Luis Carlos Morin, 39, said the decision was one of the toughest of his life — and one he is still carrying with him.

It happened when Rodriguez tried to arrest Morin, but killed him, over conflicts stemming from their connection to the same woman.

Paul asked News Channel 3 to refrain from using his last name for safety purposes.

“It was back and forth,” Paul said. “It was hard.”

The jury found Rodriguez guilty of voluntary manslaughter in June, for killing Morin.

Jurors also convicted the defendant of a sentence-enhancing gun use allegation.

“From all the evidence that was presented by the prosecution and the defense, nobody said that he went there with the intent to kill him,” Paul said. “He went with the intent to arrest him for two felonies, and that’s why our decision came to what it did.”

Paul said jurors were instructed to consider charges ranging from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter. He said early votes in the deliberation room reflected deep division, but after two days of discussion, both sides compromised.

“We finally came to the point where those that were going for murder, agreed to go down to involuntary manslaughter,” Paul said. “And those that were looking at involuntary agreed to go up to voluntary manslaughter, thinking that Oscar still could get 21 years with the gun charge.”

Prosecutors argued Rodriguez deliberately confronted Morin out of jealousy, while defense attorneys claimed Rodriguez acted in self-defense during a struggle.

Paul said Rodriguez’s decision to go alone to arrest Morin weighed heavily.

“He didn’t call for backup. He went to arrest a gentleman that had two felony warrants and he went by himself. That’s not according to policy,” Paul said.

The juror described the emotional toll of sitting through graphic testimony and photos, and the pain of seeing both families in court.

“I left the courtroom crying because this affected both families,” Paul said. “Having to make a decision in that… that was hard. That was hard for all of us in the jury.”

Still, Paul admitted he was stunned by the sentence on Wednesday.

Despite prosecutors’ objections, the judge sentenced Rodriguez to one year in county jail, with 194 days subtracted for time served, sparing Rodriguez from serving any time in state prison. He was also sentenced to 10 years probation.

“When I first learned it, I almost fell out of my chair,” he said. “I was shocked.”

Stay with News Channel 3 for the full report at 10 and 11 p.m.

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City News Service

Six people were arrested in connection with a spree of jewelry store robberies in Palm Desert and other counties, authorities said today.

The suspects were booked into Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of robbery, vandalism, grand theft, burglary, committing a theft with prior convictions and conspiracy, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

The suspects were identified as:   — 20-year-old from Lancaster;   — 24-year-old from Rosamond;   — 28-year-old from Lancaster;   — 25-year-old from Los Angeles;   — 41-year-old from Lancaster; and   — 35-year-old from Los Angeles.

Deputies responded shortly after 2:10 p.m. Aug. 9 to a jewerly store in the 72800 block of Highway 111 in Palm Desert regarding a report of a robbery, according to sheriff’s Sgt. James Mills. Several witnesses called authorities to report that four masked individuals entered the business with hammers, destroyed several display cases and stole more than $87,000 in merchandise, Mills said.

Deputies learned that the theft in Palm Desert was connected to more than 10 “smash-and-grab” style robberies targeting jewelry stores in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties since May.   

After a multi-agency operation, authorities arrested two of the suspects in Lancaster without incident Sept. 11. A third suspect was taken into custody without incident Sept. 16 in Lancaster.

On Sept. 18, a fourth suspect was arrested without incident in Los Angeles, and the fifth suspect was arrested without incident in Lancaster Tuesday, Mills said.   

The final suspect was taken into federal custody on an unrelated matter.   

The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information was urged to contact 760-836-1600.

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Blake Arthur

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) — Sometimes in life you come across someone who makes a lasting impact on your life for reasons you can’t fully comprehend.

I first met Alex Yang on Sunday, Jan. 19 during the final round of the American Express golf tournament, 9 months after he had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, also known as T-cell All.

At that time, in January of 2025, Alex was doing well and headed towards remission.

But a few months later in April, that all changed.

And now, Alex is fighting for his life.

“It was really tough to hear the news of the relapse, especially when everything was going so well and it seemed like everything would finally work out,” said Alex Yang.

Alex Yang is a 17-year-old who attends Palm Desert high school. But right now he’s not in school. He’s at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia after being selected for trial.

“So Alex needs a bone marrow transplant. But in order to get to the bone marrow transplant, he needs to be in complete remission. He wasn’t able to do that through chemo, therefore, our last option left is the Car-T (trial),” said Geno Yang.

Everything has happened so fast. I’ve been speaking with Alex’s mom, Jamie, almost daily, getting updates. And recently, got the bad news. Alex’s trial had failed with the cancer coming back worse than before.

“As a mother, it’s so hard for me, to watch him suffer and going through pain. This was the most difficult thing to watch as a parent, but I believe in Alex. He’s such a strong kid and he never gives up,” said Jamie Yang.

Alex’s survival rate is extremely low, but his spirit remains extremely high, as he’s going to fight this until the very end.

“Even if my options were running out or are running out, I just, I don’t want to give up before I try, or like, I want, I want to see this to the end. I really don’t like giving up,” said Alex.

It’s been an incredibly difficult year and a half for Alex and his family, but if there is a silver lining in all of this, it’s that Alex’s strength and character has inspired so many.

“He’s the one that reassures us that everything is gonna be OK. The fact that he’s holding it together like that. How can I not, right? How can I not as a parent, be proud and feed off that and be just as strong or even stronger than, than how he is. I don’t think I could be stronger than him, honestly, just a special kid. I mean, it’s just unbelievable,” said Geno.

Alex needs something unbelievable to happen right now. He needs a miracle to save his life.

“I just want a normal life. Just wanna be able to go to school, hang out with my friends, you know, go to the gym, things like that, the movies. I could get my driver’s license, I’m pretty behind on that,” said Alex.

“He probably didn’t want to tell you, but yeah, one thing he wanted to do was, uh, go on a ride in a fighter jet. He wants to go in a fighter jet with, you know, like the Blue Angels,” said Geno.

A fighter jet for the ultimate fighter. Hopefully that day comes. The reality though is it might not. But that doesn’t take away from who Alex is as a son, a brother and genuine human being.

“Be kind to someone, cause you never know what they are going through, and just a small act of kindness can really make someone’s day or help them in more ways than you can imagine,” said Alex.

Alex remains in Philadelphia receiving radiation treatment.

The family tells me they do not expect Alex to get any better and they are preparing for the worst possible outcome.

Rarely do I do this, but rarely have I ever come across someone as special as local teenager Alex Yang. If you’d like to help the Yang family during this difficult time, please do so. They are some of the kindest and strongest people I’ve ever met. @KESQ https://t.co/3XHuXGyN1q

— Blake Arthur (@BlakeArthur24) September 24, 2025

If you would like to support the Yang family in Alex’s fight against cancer, there is a GoFundMe page where you can donate. The family is deeply appreciative for any support during this difficult time.

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Peter Daut

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – As the Coachella Valley continues its rapid growth, Eisenhower Health is making major changes to prepare for the future. News Channel 3’s Peter Daut took an in-depth look at what the hospital is doing to meet the community’s evolving healthcare needs.

From new facilities to state-of-the-art technology, it’s almost hard to keep track of everything happening right now at Eisenhower.

For example, an entirely new section of the hospital is just days away from opening inside the original building, providing nearly three dozen additional inpatient beds.

“This is all brand new,” Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alan Williamson said. “There’s fresh paint on the walls, and we’re ready to have new patients come in.” The new nursing unit is part of the hospital’s broader expansion to meet the community’s growing needs.

“Are you hopeful that this will make a difference?” Daut asked him. He answered: “Absolutely. During the season in particular, we are at capacity. So patients are having to hold in the recovery room or emergency room, because we just don’t have a bed available for them. So now we’ll be able to accommodate those patients.”

In addition, construction is currently underway for the new Eisenhower Cardiovascular Institute, a multi-floor tower with about 100 exam rooms. Cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and specialized care teams will treat the full spectrum of heart disease and disorders in one location.

The hospital also recently expanded the Lucy Curci Cancer Center, adding nearly 6,000 square feet to increase patient care.

And in light of the Valley’s growing senior population, a new facility is also being planned for the Eisenhower Memory Care Center. The adult daycare program will serve adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias who may need care during the day. Across a shared courtyard from the Memory Care Center will be a new childcare facility for children of employees and physicians.

But one of the most important changes: bringing Eisenhower’s services closer to where people live and work. Over the last several years, the hospital has been opening clinics, stretching from Palm Springs to Indio to Yucca Valley. CEO Marty Massiello said creating access to services is essential.

“So much is happening outside of the hospital now in terms of healthcare. We see about 23,000 visits a year in the hospital. Last year we saw over 1.1 million visits in our outpatient clinics. So that was a real strategic move for us to get out there in the community and be where people are,” he said.

Eisenhower is also focusing on behavioral health and substance abuse. The hospital just expanded its on-campus mental and behavioral health clinic, from 5,000 to 12,000 square feet, and will be doing state-of-the-art treatments to help people with depression and other disorders. Additionally, there will soon be a new psychiatry residency program to bring more psychiatrists to the Valley. The hospital also recently opened a substance-abuse rehabilitation clinic in Cathedral City, offering medication-assisted therapy for drug and alcohol use disorder, outpatient withdrawal management, and walk-in referrals.

“It’s been a period of super growth for us. The community has really responded to our services, so we continue to get out there and provide those services. And I want to stress close to where people live and work,” Massiello said.

The hospital is also embracing the latest in medical technology. This summer, it began using six da Vinci 5 surgical robots, the most advanced robot in the world for minimally invasive surgeries. Not only does this help to provide better care for patients, but the hospital said it also helps with physician recruitment.

“It’s a high-demand, high healthcare-demand area, and it’s not always the easiest to recruit providers here, but given everything that we have from the latest in robotics, the latest in technology, it does help us in recruiting the best physicians here,” Executive Vice President and COO Ken Wheat said.

And as our Valley continues its massive growth, Massiello hinted something major could be coming. “How different will Eisenhower Hospital be 10 years from now?” Daut asked him. He replied, “If I was a betting person, I would say that we probably have another Eisenhower Hospital somewhere in the Valley. I think the Valley needs additional beds. And so, if I was a betting person, I would say that Eisenhower because of the trust of the community and the kind of care and services we provide, that it’s probably something that we should be considering for the future.”

Right now, the hospital is developing its new strategic plan to look at the next several years, and the needs of our growing community. It’s also important to note that Eisenhower is the only not-for-profit hospital in the Valley, so all these projects are being funded through the generosity of donors.

For more information on everything happening at Eisenhower, head to: https://eisenhowerhealth.org/growth/

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Garrett Hottle

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KESQ) The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department says it has increased patrols around the GEO Adelanto ICE Processing Center following a string of violent incidents at immigration detention facilities nationwide, including a deadly shooting in Dallas on Wednesday morning.

Homeland Security confirmed one person in ICE custody was killed and two others critically injured after a rooftop sniper opened fire at the Dallas field office. 

The gunman later took his own life, authorities said.

In a Wednesday news release, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said deputies are “actively monitoring potential threats in coordination with our federal partners” and that the additional patrols are being conducted “out of an abundance of caution.”

“With all the violence happening across the country, your deputies remain vigilant,” said San Bernardino Couunty Sheriff Shannon Dicus. “Please partner with us and if you see something, say something, even threats on social media. We will respond in a significant manner to any extremist activity in this county.”

News Channel 3 was at the Adelanto facility on July 11, when Congressman Raul Ruiz attempted to gain access as part of a tour by members of Congress raising concerns about conditions inside. The detention center, run by the private contractor GEO Group, has been the focus of repeated complaints from detainees, inspectors and immigrant rights groups over medical care and sanitation.

Those concerns intensified this week with the death of 39-year-old Ismael Ayala-Uribe, a Mexican national and former DACA recipient, died Sunday after being held at Adelanto and transferred to a Victorville hospital.

ICE says he was undergoing surgery for an abscess and had underlying medical conditions. His family says he repeatedly begged for help but was only given Tylenol as his health declined.

Ayala-Uribe is the 14th detainee to die in federal immigration custody this year.

The Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino says they will follow up with dentention center autohrtires to ensure a thorough investigation.

“The Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino will follow up with detention center authorities to ensure a thorough investigation that fully determines the cause of death in light of the serious nature of this incident.” – https://www.gob.mx/sre/prensa/consular-actions-following-death-of-mexican-citizen-in-ice-custody-in-california

The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice called for a full investigation, saying in a statement: “No one should profit from immigrant incarceration, and no family should endure loss due to neglect.”

ICE says Ayala-Uribe was arrested in August and transferred to Adelanto on August 22.

The agency says a full review of his death is underway as required by federal policy.

Residents with tips or concerns about security near the Adelanto facility are urged to call the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department or We-Tip at 1-800-78-CRIME.

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