The county district attorney’s office announced that 54-year-old Joshua Lee Arnold of Visalia has been sentenced to serve 26 years plus 28 years to life in prison for attempted murder & assault with a handgun during a crime spree.
Arnold pleaded no contest to three counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and admitted he personally used a firearm in the commission of all the attempted murders.
His crime occurred on August 17, 2023 at approximately 1 pm, where he attempted to rob a clerk at the 7-11 in Grover Beach. After the clerk refused to give Arnold money and attempted to call 9-1-1, Arnold walked around the store counter, firing a single shot towards the clerk who fell on the ground. He fired a second shot at the clerk before leaving.
The clerk suffered a single bullet wound to the neck. Several hours later, after stealing cigarettes from a smoke shop in Nipomo, and shooting at two victims inside of a vehicle he attempted to carjack in San Luis Obispo, Arnold was located by law enforcement in San Luis Ranch neighborhood, and was taken into custody without innocent.
The victims of his shooting were treated for their injuries and released from local hospitals.
