Riverside County Sheriff's deputies arrested local Alfredo Tartaglia on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse.

According to an RCSD Hemet station press release, Tartaglia was arrested after witnesses and a surveillance video confirmed his identity. Deputies arrested him at his residence after a brief struggle and booked him into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

The victims, Robert Child, 68, and Rick Holmes, 67, both of Idyllwild, sustained facial and head injuries. Witnesses described Tartaglia as acting erratically and possibly being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Witnesses said Tartaglia first assaulted Child as he was fueling his vehicle and then, when Holmes tried to intervene to help Child, Tartaglia attacked him. Each man required medical transportation to the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. The victims stated they did nothing to provoke an altercation and neither knew the subject.

Anyone with information on this incident should call Hemet Station at (791-3400).

Assault victims Robert Child and Rick Holmes prior to medical transportation. Photo by Jenny Kirchner

36 COMMENTS

  1. This is outrageous!! Aug 21, 2012, Alfredo Tartaglia attacked another resident of our quiet, little Hamlet. That time the victim spent 3 days in ICU in Riverside with a collapsed lung, broken bones in his face, broken nose, broken collarbone and internal injuries. Mr Tartaglia was reportedly on drugs that time too.
    Luckily, with the two pending cases he will be behind prison bars for good now. for a long time.
    For anyone who doesn't know, Alfredo Tartaglia is the son of the owner of the newest restaurant in town, LA BELLA MONTAGNA, the Italian restaurant. He is also their waiter..

  2. More tweekers, great, just what our quiet little town needs, more tweekers. Not the first account I’ve heard of ppl that work for or own that restaurant being spun out. We don’t need that crap in our town. I pray one of you nut jobs mess with me, I’ll make you regret bringing that junk to our town.

  3. I would like to know why a Highway Patrol Officer was informed that an assault has just happened to an elderly man that the officer replied I'll be there in a minute because he was busy eating a pizza at the time. Previously the Officer ignored that the suspect was under the influence and causing trouble at another business; by responding to this complaint these two assaults could have been prevented! The fault falls to the suspect but our police officers need to also be proactive and not ignore things happening outside within 25 yards away! Both actions are shameful…

    DGI.

  4. David,I was completely unaware there was law enforcement that close. Seems their pizza was more important than stopping some tweeked out idiot from hurting innocent ppl. Shame on them. It will be no wonder when we as good citizens, stand up and start putting an end to this behavior. Tweekers, beware, we are watching, you’re not fooling anyone.

  5. I'm surprised, that LA BELLA MONTAGNA, is still in business. To this day, I haven't seen anyone visit the establishment. I have, on occasion, caught sight of the small fluorescent open sign lit up in the window–But never a soul going in or out other than the propietors. But if Alfredo Tartaglia, is indeed working as their waiter, and with his violent history, past and current, outside of the business, becoming more common knowledge….And even though the alleged assults, happened away from the restaurant's location–Maybe it is wise not to visit the Italian restaurant as long as he works there–Don't want to upset the waiter if he may be so volatile with any sort of complaint. The customer, could just end up in ICU with internal injuries because of it. Heck, Mr. Tartaglia, did not even go peaceably as he allegedly, gave a bit of a struggle when the arresting officers went to the family residence to take him into custody–Most diffidently not the best publicity for the Newest Restaurant in town…..

  6. I am the owner of La Bella Montagna; and also in mourning of losing a son to a band of drug addicts. I do not condone drug abuse or violence and I am also a victim of when a child is lost to this horrible addiction. I attempted to stop him and kept him away from my restaurant, waiting for Christmas to transport him off this mountain as unfit to reside here. Instead, I, his mother, called the law enforcement to remove him permanently; with a heavy heart aching for all the victims.

  7. I agree Jeff, given the stipulation she actually knows who the dealer is. Mariah, I’m not understanding your statement regarding calling law enforcement to have him removed when he was identified as the assailant in the surveillance video. Unless you knew what he went and did and called law enforcement yourself.

  8. This town needs to stop talking crap about everyone. No one should stop eating there because her son messed up. He has some problems he needs to fix but that doesn’t mean take it out on his mom. And idyllwild sucked before they got up there. That town has been messed up for years. It’s full of snitches anyways n I’m sick of everyone n there big mouths.

    • I just always find it perplexing, that the ONLY people that say Idyllwild "sucks", is "messed" up, and is "full of snitches" are the ones that have been pushed out of town because they were busted for doing, selling, associated with or were arrested for possession of" DRUGS. We are SO happy that you think Idyllwild SUCKS, and you think our town is MESSED up, and YES it is, my dear, FULL of snitches. So PLEASE Jasime, stay in your wonderful flatland haven…..we don't miss you, or your kind!

    • I agree with Jasmine. The mentality of the mean gossipy people there is conterproductive. bad things happen everywhere, what makes these mean people say they deserve whatever they desire and are more deserving than anyone else on or off the hill. if anyone discusses their thoughts on this "open" forum and they are not the same as the gossipy people they are slammed with comments like you are a drug addict and get off our hill. really bad. i feel sorry for people who have to live in idyllwild without the resources to leave and forced to deal with these narrow minded people like snitchonthemall.

  9. This WHOLE issue is horrible. I can't imagine the torture (speaking as a mother) having to make that call. I commend you Mariah for that couldn't have been an easy call to make, but it was the right one…not only for the public, but especially for your son. No one knows the truth, there is a lot of speculation, and assumptions going on around town, which is typical of living up here, but whatever the case, I hope that your son receives the help he so needs, gets away from what ever element of "friends" that he got involved with, and rights the wrongs. I just hope that the judicial system identifies the correct type of help in your boys case, and he isn't allowed to walk the streets for a very very long time.

  10. For ur information I’ve been n this screwed up town for 8 years n I’m still here. I’ve never been in trouble I just know this town suck. U see the people walking around town everywhere. Just because her son has problems doesn’t mean to take it out on his mom. Leave her alone she’s n enough pain. It’s funny that u try n stick up for the town go for it. It’s just a town, n everyone n the town think there mayor is a dog. U know how dumb that looks n sounds hahaha. That cracks me up. Mind ur business.

    • Then if this town is SO screwed up and full of snitches (why are you SO concerned about that hmmm??) then MOVE. It's a free country, and rather than bashing and hating where you live, you have the freedom to be where you want to be…wonder why you stay? Only those that are concerned with "snitches" have something to hide…I've been up here for over 20 years, and have family that has been up here since the turn of the century….been through the good and the ugly coming and going. When people refer to Idyllwild as "up there" as you did, sounds like you are a soured flat lander…I LOVE where I live, only those that have the right intentions ultimately make it up here….and my dear, your diction and spelling CRACK me up. Have a great day!! and I hope the New Year finds you living where you want to be!

  11. Jasmine, since you seem to not care about our town, then why are you even posting and why would you want to stay? I care about our town, sounds like Jeff Smith and snitch in the mall cares about this town. It’s someone like you that would overlook the atrocities being committed just to say our town sucks. If it does suck, it sucks because of people like yourself Jasmine. I personally love our little town, and yes I will stick up for where I live.

  12. Sad that this public servant took an oath to protect the innocent, yet failed to do so even when told there was a disturbance going on that required his/her attention. Extreme negligence and dereliction of duty in my eyes.

  13. Has anyone ever noticed a pair of sneakers dangling from a utility line above the corner of N. Cirlcle Drive and Cedar St.–And happen to know or even realize the subtle significance as to why they are hanging at that location? And no, it's not from some juvenile prank pulled by a few high school jocks on some poor nerd stripped of his sneakers as it would have been considered some 40 and 50 years ago. Today in cities and small towns all across America, a dangling pair of sneakers marking a certain intersection and/or street corner has become the universal symbol for all tweekers that drugs can be found very near by. Usually at an unsuspecting, private residence nestled on that quiet street. So be very vigilant to heavier than normal foot traffic and noise–Especially late at night. Like it or not, there is a house where tweekers do party often and it could very well be in your neighborhood.

  14. I see the suffering and salvation in this story. When something strikes such a deep chord with me – I wonder what I can learn from the situation? It certainly brought up questions about issues of justice, accountability, right action, humility, and community. My kneejerk reaction might be to lashout and blame – but I tend to think blame and violence begets more of the same.

  15. So where is the salvation? The salvation is in the beauty of people ogranizing together to increase awareness in protecting their cherished community, in someone seeing another human being in pain and distress and seeking help for that person and/or intervening to protect another and de-escalate a situation, in medical staff at Eisenhower tending to and caring for those in need, in a mother implementing "tough love" toward her son and setting limits with a grieving, heavy heart…The varied comments reflect a common sense of concern, protection/safety, justice, community…

  16. My prayers for healing are for all involved in this situation – including Mr. Child, Mr. Holmes, Mr. Tartaglia (not condoning his behavior – and, that said, being enslaved to addiction and/or to out of control emotions directly resulting in harming others = suffering) and their families. Prayers coupled with action is a sweet combination – so many thanks to the person (an unsung hero/heroine) who urged the police officer to take immediate action and to Mr. Holmes for acting and intervening. It would be easy (as I noticed that I started) to blame the officer – but then I think of times where I put my own needs/gratification ahead of someone who was struggling and would have benefitted from my attention, intervention, etc.

  17. At this time of endings/new beginnings, this story makes me curious about what seeds I want to water in the coming year – those of indignation, mean-spiritedness, retaliation or those of community, collaboration, and care for others…