Arrest Made In Northridge Road Rage Shooting, More Victims Sought

NORTHRIDGE, CA — An anonymous tip led to the arrest was of man suspected of repeatedly shooting another driver in a Northridge road rage incident, and now police believe there may be additional victims.

Los Angeles police announced the arrest Tuesday evening of David Phouanesavath. Detectives believe Phouanesavath is the shooter in the March road rage incident in Northridge that left a man hospitalized with a gunshot wound. An anonymous victim provided police with Phouanesavath's license plate number after having allegedly escaped a similar road rage incident with Phouanesavath. The alleged victim recognized Phouanesavath from video footage released of the March shooting.

"Due to the suspect's involvement in two road rage incidents, it is possible that additional road rage incidents involving this suspect and the brandishing of a firearm may have occurred," the LAPD said.

Officers responded to a shots fired call near Haskell Avenue and Parthenia Street about 8:35 a.m. on March 25, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The road-rage incident began a short time earlier on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway, and the victim exited the freeway at Nordhoff Street, the LAPD reported.

"The suspect followed the victim, who pulled to the curb on Haskell Avenue," according to an LAPD statement. "The suspect pulled behind, then alongside the stopped victim, and shot the victim multiple times. The suspect fled the location in his vehicle and the victim was hospitalized for the gunshot wounds."

Devonshire Division detectives held a news conference on April 22 and released surveillance video of the suspect's vehicle and a description of the suspect, later identified as David Phouanesavath. The suspect was seen in a 1994-98, two-door, Chevrolet Silverado Z71 pickup truck, black or green with a camper shell, the LAPD said.

Following the news conference, detectives were contacted by an anonymous victim who said the suspect had flashed a gun during a road rage incident in northern Los Angeles County and the victim had taken a photograph of the suspect and written down the license plate number of the suspect's vehicle. The suspect and vehicle description matched those in the March 25 shooting, the LAPD said.

The FBI/LAPD Task Force located Phouanesavath on April 26 and attempted to stop him, but he led authorities on a high-speed pursuit and was able to get away.

Phouanesavath was ultimately located in Las Vegas by an FBI SWAT team and persuaded to surrender, the LAPD said. The date of his arrest was not disclosed.

Anyone with information about additional road rage incidents involving Phouanesavath was asked to call Devonshire Detective Division Crimes Against Persons Table at 818-832-0609.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.