Murrieta Man Shot At On 15 Freeway Near Rainbow In Apparent Road Rage

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — In what is being described as a "road rage incident," a Murrieta man had his truck window broken Monday morning after allegedly being shot at as he drove on southbound Interstate 15 near Rainbow, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The CHP responded to a road rage call around 5:50 a.m. south of Rainbow Valley Boulevard on southbound I-15, the agency reported.

A 57-year-old Murrieta man said he was driving a blue Dodge Ram in the #3 lane when someone in a silver Mercedes CLK230C coupe fired a shot at him and sped off. The pickup driver "sustained minor injuries from broken glass," but he was not hit by gunfire, according to the CHP.

CHP officers spotted a vehicle matching the Mercedes description as it was heading south on I-15, north of state Route 78. The CHP tried to pull the vehicle over, but the driver took off, the CHP reported.

During a police chase, the Mercedes driver tried to exit southbound I-15 at Via Rancho Parkway in Escondido but went off the road, then tried to get back on the freeway before crashing into a Mini Cooper and overturning, according to the CHP.

The Mercedes driver jumped out of the wreckage and fled on foot, but police from multiple agencies tracked him down with the help of a K-9. He was identified by authorities as a 28-year-old Rialto man and was arrested on suspicion of felony evading of a police officer, felony hit and run, possession of burglary tools, possession of narcotics, and felony assault with a deadly weapon, according to the CHP.

Two other men were riding in the Mercedes — a 34-year-old Highland resident and a 26-year-old Ontario resident, according to the CHP. It's not clear whether they were arrested.

A loaded firearm was also found in the Mercedes, the CHP reported.

The Mini Cooper driver — a 59-year-old man from Escondido — was sent by ambulance to Palomar Medical Center for minor injuries, the CHP reported.

The Via Rancho Parkway onramp to southbound Interstate 15 was closed Monday as the CHP investigated the incident.

The CHP is asking anyone who has information or may have witnessed the incident to call its Oceanside Area office at 760-643-3400.