Old Town Temecula Stabbing Leads To 14-Year Prison Sentence

TEMECULA, CA — A man who stabbed a 35-year-old motorist during a traffic dispute in Temecula was sentenced Monday to 14 years, four months in state prison.

Rigoberto R. Reyes, 45, last month admitted charges of attempted murder and child endangerment, along with sentence-enhancing weapon and great bodily injury allegations just as his trial was set to start. No charges were dismissed.

During a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Monday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Monterosso imposed the sentence that he had previously stipulated.

Reyes was arrested on May 21, 2022, following the attack in the 28400 block of Old Town Front Street, near Moreno Road.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Frank Tiburzio, shortly before 1 p.m., Reyes and the victim, identified only as an "adult male," were involved in an unspecified roadway dispute while in their respective vehicles.

The confrontation culminated in the two men stopping on Old Town Front Street, where Reyes pulled a knife and attacked the man, inflicting "multiple stab wounds," Tiburzio said.

Tiburzio said the defendant fled the location immediately afterward.

Witnesses called 911, and the victim was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, where he received emergency treatment. He has since recovered from his injuries.

Tiburzio said patrol deputies were able to obtain the license plate information on the vehicle the defendant was driving. They spotted it minutes later in the 42200 block of Main Street, where Reyes was taken into custody without incident.

There was no mention of the basis for the child endangerment charge, or whether it stemmed from a youth in the defendant's vehicle, or the victim's.

Reyes had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.