Charges expected against Cathedral City man suspected in road rage with gun

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) - Felony charges may be filed Tuesday against a probationer suspected of flashing a handgun at a motorist during a road rage confrontation in Moreno Valley.

The suspect, a 33-year-old man from Cathedral City, was arrested Friday following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation. He was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm and probation violations. He's being held without bail.

The convicted felon's case was under review by the District Attorney's Office Monday.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, on July 31, deputies received reports of a man brandishing a pistol at another driver during an unspecified conflict that happened on city streets, though the exact location wasn't provided.

Sheriff's Sgt. Rafael Victorio said investigators were soon able to confirm the alleged assailant's identity, without disclosing how. Moreno Valley has, for nearly two decades, operated a Citywide Camera System that sometimes aids in apprehending suspects who have perpetrated various offenses.

Victorio said an arrest warrant was obtained for the Cathedral City man, and deputies tracked him to the 34000 block of Gateway Drive in Palm Desert, where a traffic stop was executed early Friday morning, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident.

Deputies then served a search warrant at his residence in the 37000 block of Bankside Drive.  

"They located articles of evidentiary value,'' the sergeant said, without disclosing anything further.

According to court records, the suspect was convicted last year of elder abuse and a sentence enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury.   

No details were available regarding that case, which resulted in a six-month jail term and two years' felony probation.