A monthlong investigation into an alleged road rage incident near Redlands led investigators to seize about 20 illegal firearms, 20,000 rounds of ammunition and suspected gun-making equipment.
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A monthlong investigation into an alleged road rage incident near Redlands led investigators to seize about 20 illegal firearms, 20,000 rounds of ammunition and suspected gun-making equipment.
REDLANDS, Calif. — A monthlong investigation into an alleged road rage incident on Interstate 10 near Redlands led to the Aug. 4 arrest of a Yucaipa man and the seizure of about 20 illegal firearms, approximately 20,000 rounds of ammunition and suspected gun-making equipment, California Highway Patrol announced Thursday.
The investigation began July 15 after CHP received a report of a road rage incident on Interstate 10 near Live Oak Canyon Road involving a Ford and a Nissan.
According to CHP, the driver of the Ford pulled alongside the Nissan and pointed a handgun at its occupants before driving away. The victims provided investigators with the vehicle's license plate number.
Although officers were unable to locate the vehicle that day, investigators with CHP's Inland Division Investigative Services Unit later identified the driver as 52-year-old Robert Valdez of Yucaipa.
On Aug. 4, investigators located Valdez and his vehicle in Redlands, where they conducted what CHP described as a high-risk enforcement stop and arrested him without incident.
A search of the vehicle led investigators to recover a revolver, additional ammunition and speed loaders.
Later that day, CHP investigators served a search warrant at Valdez's residence, where they recovered approximately 20 illegal firearms, including assault weapons, AR-15-style rifles, long-range rifles, shotguns and handguns equipped with suppressors, according to the agency.
Investigators also seized approximately 20,000 rounds of ammunition, including armor-piercing ammunition, multiple firearm suppressors and about 15 firearm milling fixtures that CHP said were used to illegally manufacture and modify AR-15-style lower receivers.
Valdez was booked into the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's Central Detention Center on suspicion of brandishing a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of an assault weapon and possession of a suppressor.
"This investigation demonstrates our officers' commitment to protecting the public by identifying dangerous offenders and removing illegal weapons from our communities," CHP Inland Division Chief Tariq Johnson said in a statement. "Their diligence prevented these weapons from posing a greater threat to public safety and reflects the CHP's unwavering commitment to keeping California's communities safe."
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact CHP Inland Division Investigator Harrison Stewart at (909) 806-2400.
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