A Bay Area man who was shot by California Highway Patrol officers after allegedly firing a gun during a foot pursuit near Blythe was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on two counts of attempted murder of a peace officer.
Following a preliminary hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dale R. Wells found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the attempted murder counts, as well as two sentence-enhancing allegations of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Hakim Price Oden, 21, could face 38 years to life in prison if convicted as charged, according to prosecutors.
Wells scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for July 28 and kept bail at $2.2 million for the defendant, who remains jailed at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
Local law enforcement officers had been on the lookout for Oden in connection with a San Francisco area assault, according to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Wallace Clear.
On March 26, 2019, about 2:45 a.m., a pair of CHP officers located an unattended vehicle matching one associated with Oden on the shoulder of Interstate 10, east of Corn Springs Road, he said. Soon after, the CHP received reports of a man attempting to flag down motorists not far from the abandoned vehicle, Clear said.
“The officers located the adult male, later identified as Hakim Oden, on the shoulder of the highway and attempted to contact him,” the sergeant said. “Suspect Oden ran from the officers who pursued him on foot. While pursuing Oden, an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
A criminal complaint filed by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office alleges Oden fired a gun during the incident, but additional details have not been released.
Oden was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries described as minor. The officers were unhurt.
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