Man arrested after firing gun during alleged road rage incident, Merced police say

A man was arrested after he admitted to pulling a gun and firing a ‘warning shot’ during a confrontation with two people, according to Merced police.

Officers responded at about 6:45 p.m. Sunday to the 700 block of San Diego Court for a report of a subject with a firearm.

Officers arrived and met with people who told the officers that they were being followed by an unknown subject. After a short time, they pulled over to confront the man, according to a police news release.

The two people told police the suspect Manuel Abarca, 30, exited his vehicle and retrieved a hand gun from the trunk before firing one round between them, according to police.

Authorities said officer spoke with Abarca who had also called police regarding the road rage incident. Police said Abarca admitted to following the two people, pulling the gun out of his trunk and firing a ‘warning shot’.

Abarca was arrested and booked into the Merced County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, according to police.

Merced police ask anyone with information to contact Officer D. Saelee at 209-388-7721 or by email at saelee@cityofmerced.org.

This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 4:18 PM.