Terror On Ortega Highway Leads To Arrest

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A Mission Viejo man suspected of shooting toward an off-duty police department employee on the Ortega Highway near Lake Elsinore has been arrested, the California Highway Patrol announced.

Keith Frederick Prante, 34, was taken into custody by the CHP at 8 a.m. Sunday at his home on Los Altos, jail records show. He remained jailed late Monday afternoon at Murrieta's Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and brandishing a firearm. He was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

The incident began around 7:46 p.m. Saturday when the San Bernardino Police Department employee was heading east on SR-74, just west of Decker Canyon Road, on the Riverside County side of the highway, according to the CHP.

For reasons that are unclear, a man — later identified as Prante — fired shots toward the police employee, according to a preliminary report from the CHP's Temecula office.

The victim was not hit, and Prante sped off driving east.

The victim lost sight of him and continued driving east as well. Up ahead on the dark twisting road he saw Prante's vehicle stopped on the highway's right shoulder, according to the CHP.

The police employee stopped before he got to Prante's vehicle. At that point, Prante allegedly stuck a handgun out of the driver's side window, and began driving in reverse toward the victim.

Fearing for his life, the police employee fired a handgun — "which he was legally allowed to possess" — toward Prante, the CHP said.

The shots sent Prante fleeing toward Lake Elsinore, where he disappeared.

The victim also traveled down SR-74 into the city and called 911. He was able to provide the CHP with a vehicle license plate number, which was tracked to Prante. A command post was set up Saturday night and a search for Prante ensued, the CHP said.

The next morning, Prante was captured at his Mission Viejo home.

According to jail records, Prante is due in court Wednesday at Murrieta's Southwest Justice Center.