A suspect in a shooting that wounded a man in an East County commercial district last week was behind bars Wednesday following his arrest at the end of a brief road chase.
Michael Ricardo Riordan, 42, got into a dispute with two men for unknown reasons about 12:30 p.m. Friday in the 1000 block of Decker Street in El Cajon, where a small gathering of people were signing up for free cellphones at a portable kiosk set up on the sidewalk, according to police.
The quarrel ended when Riordan allegedly stalked off, retrieved a handgun from his nearby car, returned and opened fire on the pair, wounding one of them. Police say he then got back into the dark-colored sedan and sped off.
By the time officers arrived, the victim had been driven away by a friend. Officers contacted him later at a hospital, where he was being treated for a non-life-threatening leg wound.
Investigators subsequently identified Riordan as the suspected shooter, Lt. Walt Miller said. Early Tuesday evening, detectives spotted Riordan in a vehicle in the Lakeside area and tailed him as he drove onto westbound Interstate 8.
Riordan allegedly refused to yield and led a pursuit into Lemon Grove. Reaching a cohort’s home, he pulled into the driveway, where his car nearly hit a young child, Miller said.
The suspect then exited his vehicle and got into a short struggle with officers that ended when one of them subdued him with an electric stun gun, the lieutenant said.
During a search of one of three East County homes where Riordan has been known to stay, police found a handgun matching the caliber of shell casings left at the site of the shooting, Miller said.
Riordan was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of assault with a firearm, being a felon in possession of a gun, evading police, threatening peace officers and child endangerment. He was being held in San Diego Central jail on $1 million bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
–City News Service