RIVERSIDE — A felon involved in a road rage confrontation during which shots were fired in downtown Riverside pleaded guilty Monday to firearm assault and other charges and was immediately sentenced to 19 years in state prison.
Jahiden Nissi Person, 23, of Riverside, admitted the assault count, along with armed robbery and sentence-enhancing gun use allegations under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped five related charges against Person.
Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.
All felony counts against the defendant’s girlfriend, 23-year-old Samiyah Milan Moore of Riverside, were dropped last fall, leaving a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a firearm, which remains unresolved. Moore is free on her own recognizance, with no court dates scheduled.
According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 25, 2023, the defendants were involved in a traffic conflict in the 3400 block of Sixth Street that led to an altercation.
During the road rage encounter, Person opened fire on Jeffrey Allen Robinson of Riverside, who was also armed and returned fire, Railsback said.
“No one (was) struck,” he said, adding that all of the parties fled.
Railsback said patrol officers found evidence that gunfire had been exchanged and turned the matter over to detectives, who soon identified the belligerents, resulting in search warrants being obtained and served at properties on Magnolia Avenue and Felspar Street.
The defendants were taken into custody without incident.
Robinson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in May and was sentenced to 12 months’ probation.
Railsback said that during the investigation, detectives turned up evidence linking Person to an armed robbery at an AutoZone in the 1900 block of University Avenue last Nov. 7. His plea agreement incorporated that offense.
The defendant had a prior felony conviction in another jurisdiction that wasn’t listed in court papers.
