RivCo Man Admits Shooting Pedestrian In Drive-By Attack

RIVERSIDE, CA — A 28-year-old man who shot at two pedestrians, wounding one, in a drive-by attack on a downtown Riverside street stemming from an earlier scuffle pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted murder and other charges.

Hector Alfonso Sanchez Torres of Home Gardens admitted the felony charge, along with three counts of firearm assault and a sentence-enhancing gun use allegation, under a pretrial agreement Wednesday with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors agreed to drop one related charge and several sentence enhancements against Torres.

Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 14 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Torres is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

According to the Riverside Police Department, in the predawn hours of March 30, 2025, the defendant was involved in an unspecified conflict with two men, identified in court documents only as "E.F." and "E.R.," near the intersection of University Avenue and Main Street — an area known as the Entertainment District.

After the altercation ended, Torres went to his vehicle and then drove back to where the parties with whom he had fought were walking, former police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback said at the time.

"The suspect drove along University ... and shot at the victims before fleeing," Railsback said.

He said one of the pedestrians was hit in the leg and taken to Riverside Community Hospital for treatment. He has since recovered. The other victim allegedly targeted by the defendant was not hurt.

Officers from the department's Metro Team followed up leads pointing to Torres as the alleged shooter, according to Railsback. The defendant was located and taken into custody without incident roughly eight hours after the alleged shooting, at a property on Windsong Street in Home Gardens.

Torres had no documented prior felony convictions in California.