Modesto man arrested in connection with Merced County road rage shooting, CHP says

A suspect has been arrested in connection with a road rage shooting on a Merced County highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Modesto resident Juan Carlos Navarro, 64, was arrested in Modesto on Jan. 9 by officers from multiple agencies including the CHP Central Division Warrant Service Team, CHP Central Division Investigative Services Unit and the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force, according to the CHP.

Authorities said Navarro was identified as a suspect in a Jan. 4 shooting on Highway 99.

At about 4:20 p.m. on Jan 4, CHP officers responded to a report of a shooting on northbound Highway 99 near Hammett Avenue in Livingston. Authorities said a road rage incident occurred involving occupants of a Hyundai Sonata and the driver of a Toyota Prius.

The driver of the Toyota reportedly pulled a handgun during the incident and fired one shot at the passenger side of the Hyundai. According to authorities, the right front passenger door of the Hyundai was struck by the gunfire, missing the two occupants inside the vehicle. The driver of the Toyota fled prior to officers arriving on scene. An investigation led authorities to identify Navarro as a suspect in the shooting, according to the CHP.

Navarro was booked into Merced County Jail on multiple charges including felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm, shooting at an inhabited vehicle, willful discharge of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner and misdemeanor carrying a loaded firearm in vehicle, according to jail records.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact CHP Investigator O. Martinez at 209-356-6631 or the CHP Merced Area Office at 209-356-6600.