An Agua Dulce man appeared in a Lancaster courthouse Wednesday to answer to five charges in connection with the shooting of a 79-year-old neighbor after an assault with a pool cue, according to a criminal complaint.
The five-count complaint accuses Alejandro “Alex” Rodriguez, 36, of shooting his neighbor after an alleged attack that happened near where both men live on the 30000 block of Briggs Road in Agua Dulce.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday afternoon did not have Rodriguez’s plea to the charges, which included: assault with a deadly weapon; carrying a concealed weapon, a firearm; discharge of a firearm with gross negligence; assault with a semiautomatic firearm; and elder abuse.
However, custody and court records online indicate the $30,000 bond for Rodriguez’s bail was posted at the hearing.
The initial information from the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station indicated the charges came from a fight between Rodriguez and the victim, who knew each other.
The complaint alleged Rodriguez attacked the victim with a pool cue before the shooting.
The man reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to Palmdale Sheriff’s Station officials who investigated the incident.
Palmdale station officials declined to release any information Wednesday when reached for comment about the assault.
A resident of the area who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns described the victim as a well-liked neighbor who has lived in the area since 1973, and is a widower who raised his family in the area.
Prosecutors also filed alleged violations of the rules of court, including that the offenses involved great violence, that the defendant was armed with and used a weapon at the time and that the victim was particularly vulnerable.
The next hearing date for Rodriguez’s case was not immediately available Wednesday afternoon.
