A driver suspected of firing a gun at another driver Monday on Interstate 15 in North County, causing minor injuries, was arrested following a freeway pursuit, authorities reported.
The alleged road-rage shooting south of Rainbow Valley Boulevard was reported shortly before 6 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
It was unclear what prompted the gunfire, which left a 57-year-old Murrieta man driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck with cuts from flying shards of glass, CHP public information Officer Hunter Gerber said.
San Diego News
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
As officers responded to the reported crime, they saw a vehicle matching the description of the suspected shooter's car heading south on the freeway near state Route 78 and pulled it over. Though the suspect, a 28-year-old Rialto man, was initially compliant, he drove off as the CHP personnel approached his silver Mercedes-Benz CLK230C coupe.
The ensuing pursuit passed through the Pala, Bonsall and Hidden Meadows areas before reaching Escondido. There, the fleeing driver -- who had two passengers riding in his car with him -- exited onto Via Rancho Parkway, where the Mercedes veered across the offramp and crossed onto an adjacent onramp, crashed into a Mini Cooper, overturned and struck a guardrail.
Get updates on what's happening in San Diego to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
Following the collision, the suspect jumped out of his car and made a failed attempt to escape on foot, Gerber said. Officers chased down the man, whose name was not immediately available, and arrested him on suspicion of felony evasion of police, hit-and-run, possession of illegal narcotics and burglary tools, and assault with a deadly weapon.
Investigators found a loaded gun in the Mercedes, Gerber said.
The driver of the vehicle struck by the suspect's car, a 59-year-old Escondido man, was treated at Palomar Medical Center for minor injuries, according to the Highway Patrol.
