A man who shot another man in the leg during an altercation at a cellphone giveaway in El Cajon pleaded guilty Wednesday to assault with a firearm and a gang allegation.
Michael Ricardo Riordan, 42, is expected to be sentenced to 11 years in state prison at a hearing Jan. 23.
Police said Riordan got into a dispute with two men for unknown reasons about 12:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in the 1000 block of Decker Street, where people were signing up for free cellphones at a portable kiosk set up on the sidewalk.
The quarrel ended when Riordan 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 shooter, Lt. Walt Miller said. On Nov. 1, early in the evening, detectives spotted Riordan in a vehicle in the Lakeside area and tailed him as he drove onto westbound Interstate 8.
Riordan 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.
—City News Service