Hemet road rage leads to rollover crash, shots fired
HEMET, Calif. — Authorities say a Hemet road rage incident led to a rollover crash and shots fired late Friday evening, May 29.
One of the involved passengers was hospitalized after what officials have called an “intentional act”, which happened in the area of State St. and Domenigoni Parkway.
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City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to the area about 11:23 p.m., after receiving reports of a crash and rollover, with shots fired, Hemet Police Lt. Michael Arellano has since reported.
Officers began arriving at the scene within minutes of the dispatched call and found two wrecked vehicles, including one along the side of the road and the other in an adjacent field about 40 feet from the roadway.
Officials also found a pair of downed power poles, with live wires dangling dangerously close to the roadway, and vehicle parts and debris scattered across the road.
Both involved drivers had already fled prior to officers arriving and only one passenger was still at the scene, according to Arellano.
Officials say a road rage incident led to a rollover crash and shots fired late Friday night. Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photo
While paramedics began treating the injured passenger, officers searched for the drivers who fled. Despite searching for the pair, neither driver was located that evening.
The injured passenger was eventually transported to an area hospital with unspecified injuries described as minor to moderate.
During their subsequent investigation, officers determined the drivers of the involved vehicles, which were described as a Dodge Ram and four-door sedan, had been involved in a rolling road rage altercation as they traveled south on State St.
As the vehicles neared Domingoni Parkway, it is believed the driver of the pickup truck purposefully rammed the sedan, causing both vehicles to lose control, explained Arellano.
The collision caused the sedan to careen out of control, at which time it struck a power pole, shearing it off at the base. As the first pole came crashing down, it pulled another adjacent utility pole down.
Although a second wrecked sedan was found at the scene, officials did not specify how or if that vehicle was involved.
After the initial crash another vehicle arrived at the scene and one of that vehicle’s occupants “discharged a firearm into one of the involved vehicles,” according to Arellano.
Based on their investigation and victim/witness statements, officers determined all involved persons were believed to know each other prior to the incident.
Hemet PD’s investigation is ongoing and anyone with information or who witnessed all or part of the altercation are encouraged to contact Arellano at (951) 765-3727. Callers can remain anonymous.
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Above: Timothy Franzese/Pubic Safety Incidents photos
Above: Will Whelan/Hemet Valley Incidents above photos
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Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.
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