Cabazon teen arrested after Hwy 60 road rage shooting in Moreno Valley that targeted mother and infant
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article indicated this shooting happened in Perris. The incident actually occurred east of Perris Boulevard in Moreno Valley.
-TM
MORENO VALLEY, Calif. — Authorities say a car-to-car shooting suspect has been arrested in connection with a road rage shooting that occurred on Hwy 60 in Moreno Valley early Tuesday morning, March 1. The targets of the shooting, a mother and her infant child, were uninjured in the incident.
After his arrest, the suspect, a 16-year-old Cabazon resident, was booked into Riverside County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of attempted murder, negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, and brandishing a firearm.
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California Highway Patrol began investigating the shooting shortly before 8 a.m. after the driver of a white Chevy Silverado reported that the driver of a white Ford Flex had fired a gun at her vehicle while traveling westbound on SR-60, east of Perris Boulevard, CHP Officer Juan Quintero has since reported.
Responding officers learned that after the shooting, both vehicles exited the freeway at Pidgeon Pass Road, where the victim immediately pulled over and called 911. The gunman was last seen continuing into the city of Moreno Valley.
“An inspection of the Chevy Silverado revealed a round had entered the rear window and exited through the rear-view mirror and windshield,” said Quintero.
As their investigation was getting underway, officers developed leads and gathered information that led them to identify Isaiah Melgoza, 16, of Cabazon, as the suspected gunman.
“This information was broadcast to surrounding law enforcement agencies, and Fontana Police Department officers subsequently located the Ford Flex and stopped the vehicle that evening,” Quintero went on to explain. “CHP investigators responded, took custody of the suspect and vehicle, and recovered evidence related to the crime.”
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“This investigation is still ongoing,” said Riverside Area Commander Capt. Levi Miller, who added, “The California Highway Patrol takes aggressive driving and road rage seriously and will actively investigate these incidents.”
Anyone who may have witnessed this incident or captured the shooting on their vehicle’s dashcam is encouraged to call CHP Officer Cuevas at (951) 637-8000.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS), which act as stringer-news providers for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
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 30 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 18 grandchildren.
The 60 doesn’t come through Perris. The 60 at Perris Blvd is in Moreno Valley