Details Released On Deputy Stabbing Near El Paseo

PALM DESERT, CA — More details were released Tuesday night about the stabbing of a deputy near Palm Desert's El Paseo shopping district.

Christian Matthew Choi, 50, of La Quinta was arrested at 7:40 p.m. Tuesday on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer after he allegedly stabbed a deputy in the leg.

The incident followed a search for a man around 1:16 p.m. Tuesday who was assaulting customers in the 73-400 block of Highway 111. The man turned out to be Choi, and he was quickly located by deputies. Instead of cooperating with deputies, however, he "immediately began to fight," according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"The suspect armed himself with a knife and stabbed one of the deputies in the leg," the sheriff's department reported.

Deputies used a Taser gun on Choi, "which was ineffective," according to the department.

"The suspect raised the knife and tried to stab the same deputy again, but was unsuccessful" and was ultimately taken into custody, the department said.

The injured deputy and Choi were transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The deputy, whose name was not provided, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The deputy has been released from the hospital and is "at home resting in great spirits," Sgt. Deanna Pecoraro told City News Service.

Choi was released from the hospital and booked into Indio's John Benoit Detention Center. In addition to the attempted murder charge, jail and court records show Choi has other felony charges pending against him. He was being held in lieu of a $1 million bond and was due in court April 5, according to jail records.