Authorities in Ventura County have arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with an alleged road-rage shooting in heavy traffic earlier this week.
The violence unfolded in the early morning hours of April 9, with Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies responding to an unincorporated area near the intersection of Hueneme and Raytheon roads.
At the scene, investigators said evidence indicated that a suspect opened fire on an occupied vehicle while inside his own vehicle as result of a road-rage related incident, according to a VCSO news release.
Detectives with Ventura County Sheriff’s Camarillo Investigations Bureau assumed the case and were able to identify Jose Luciano Valdez, a resident of Oxnard, as the suspected gunman.
When authorities served an arrest and search warrant on the 31-year-old’s residence later the same day, he was taken into custody and found to be in possession of two illegal semi-automatic handguns and more than 100 rounds of ammunition.
Valdez was booked at Ventura County’s Pre-Trial Detention Facility where he remains in custody on $80,000 bail, while awaiting court proceedings, officials said.
He is facing multiple charges, including:
- Assault with a deadly weapon
- Assault with a semi-automatic firearm
- Discharging a firearm at an occupied vehicle
- Carrying a concealed firearm in public
- Possession of a loaded gun and not being the registered owner
- Unlawful transfer of a firearm
Anyone with information about the investigation or who may have witnessed the incident, is urged to contact Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Det. Nate Rushing at 805-388-5149.
