Man pleads not guilty in fatal Applebee’s shooting

INDIO (CNS) - A Cathedral City man suspected in a fight that led to a fatal shooting at an Applebee’s Grill & Bar pleaded not guilty to murder today. Willie R. Bustamante, 33, additionally faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty and denied the allegation Friday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Officers responded at 11:31 p.m. Sunday to a report of a fight involving numerous people inside Applebee’s at 32400 Date Palm Drive, according to Sgt. Albert Ruiz of the Cathedral City Police Department. During the altercation, one person pulled out a firearm and shot the victim, Ernesto Lazcano Arroyo, 31, a Cathedral City resident, according to police. Officers found Arroyo inside the restaurant with gunshot wounds. Paramedics from the Cathedral City Fire Department took Arroyo to a hospital, where he died, Ruiz said. CCPD detectives conducted several interviews and worked several leads during their investigation, according to Ruiz. They worked with the Riverside County Gang Impact Team that conducted surveillance on Bustamante’s residence in the 69100 block of Dinah Shore Drive, where a search warrant was served. Police said 30-year-old Antonio Portillo of Cathedral City was also identified as a suspect and booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio Monday, but according to inmate records, he was released by Thursday without being charged in the case. Bustamante was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Indio, where he remains held on $1 million bail. Anyone with information related to the killing was asked to call the CCPD at 760-770-0300, Cmdr. Rick Sanchez at 760-202-2488 or via the Cathedral City Police Department website at cathedralcitypolice.com.