Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Man Shot After Following Estranged Wife

SANTA CLARITA — A man who spotted his estranged wife with another man followed them in his car, leading to a curbside confrontation in which the other man shot him in the chest, authorities said Thursday.

The estranged wife and the other man were charged with assault, the district attorney’s office said.

Don Esqueda, 24, of Palmdale, was hospitalized after confronting Jennifer Leggitt, 21, of Valencia at about 11:15 p.m. Monday, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia Ulfig. Leggitt tried to elude him for several blocks, but finally pulled over near William S. Hart High School in Newhall.

“He pulls to the curb to find out what his estranged wife is doing with another man,” and was shot in the upper chest with a pistol as he approached the passenger’s side of the other car on foot, Ulfig said.

Esqueda was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia. A hospital spokeswoman said Thursday that Esqueda had requested that no information about his condition be released.

Sean Deveritch, 21, of Valencia, surrendered to sheriff’s deputies Tuesday morning after two other adult passengers in Leggitt’s car identified him as the gunman, Ulfig said. He was charged Thursday with assault with a firearm causing great bodily injury and is in custody in lieu of $90,000 bail, she said.

An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for Leggitt, who has been charged with assault with a firearm because she allegedly knew Deveritch was carrying a loaded weapon and then drove away from the shooting scene, Ulfig added. Sheriff’s officials and prosecutors said they are arranging with her lawyer a surrender by Leggitt.

The other passengers in the car were not charged.

Deveritch was originally arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and could face that charge at later court proceedings, but prosecutors currently do not believe such charges are appropriate against him or Leggitt, Ulfig said.

“Neither of them have any criminal history whatsoever, and both of them are looking at about 10 years in state prison anyway,” she said.